Archbishop Spyridon responds to the G.O.A.L. resolutions

Archbishop Spyridon responds
to the G.O.A.L. resolutions
Responding to the resolutions adopted at the G.OA L conference in Chicago in March,
1998, Archbishop Spyridon responded with a memorandum. The text of the memorandum appears in its entirety below. G.OAL responded with a statement which is published as a paid announcement following the text of His Eminence.
Dear Faithful of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America,
Christ is Risen!
The great Feast of Easter provides all
the people of the Church, both clergy and
laity, with a period of time which has included Great Lent, Holy Week, Pascha and
the sacred days leading up to Pentecost,
which offers us the opportunity to reflect
on the glory of Christ, the wisdom of His
Church, and our responsibility to be good
stewards of the Faith entrusted to our care.
As Christians, when we come together in
Church, and especially when we gather
around the Cross of our Crucified Lord on
Golgotha and witness in the darkness of the
early morning, the light of Christ emerges
from the empty tomb, we feel in our hearts
that there is something greater than ourselves, the mystery of the Church and of
salvation in Jesus Christ. During Easter we
came together as a family. During Easter
we looked into the eyes of people who we
did not even know and exchanged the kiss
of peace and the proclamation "Christ is
Risen", because in the Lord we are all
brothers and sisters, and only through the
Lord can we be a family. The Feast of Easter allows all of us to reflect on those things
which are much more profound than our
daily routines and, thus, when we return to
our daily schedule oflife, somehow, mysteriously, our realities can be changed because we have experienced the love, the
embrace and mystery of the Resurrected
Christ in our hearts.
This communication to the faithful is
written in order to clarify certain issues
about the life of the Church which have
been raised by fellow Greek Orthodox
Christians who are members of G.O.A.L.
It is proper that concerns and issues which
JUNE, 1998
are raised by any member of the family are
discussed in the spirit of Christian dialogue.
Also, it must be noted that individuals representing G.O.A.L. have been invited by
His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon to the
Archdiocese on June I, 1998, in order to
personally express their ideas and views
concerning our blessed Archdiocese of
America.
ISSUES OF CONCERN
I. Organizational Unity, of the Archdiocese.
The order and unity of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is established upon Christ Himself. The Charter of
1977, granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the Archdiocese, is an administrative instrument which provides for specific issues. As stated in the Charter:
"The Archdiocese is governed by the
holy canons, the present charter and the
regulations promulgated by it and as to canonical and ecclesiastical matters not provided therein, by the decisions thereon of
the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate" (Article I).
The election of the ruling bishops of the
Dioceses to the rank of Metropolitan is an
exemplary honor to their persons, and as
such, to their Dioceses as well. These distinctions for the Presiding Bishops of the
various Sees ofthe Archdiocese in no way
alter the unity of the Archdiocese. The unity
of the Archdiocese is not, will not, and can
not be compromised.
The re-definition of the canonical
boundaries of the Archdiocese, to coincide
with the United States of America, was
done in order to give our Greek Orthodox
brothers and sisters in Canada, Central and
South America an identity of their own.
Throughout history, differing regions and
countries have coalesced in ecclesial entities in different ways, depending on his-
tori cal circumstances.
We should be very proud that our brothers and sisters in these countries have been
recognized for their own qualities and contributions, and have been accorded the dignity and honor of Metropolitanate status.
The enhanced status of these regions means
that their own national ministries will be
more effectively carried out, and therefore
the Church in the western hemisphere will
be spiritually stronger.
II. Special Regulations and Uniform
Parish Regulations (UPR)
First, it should be understood that no
changes have been made to the Special
Regulations or the UPR.
The Archdiocesan Council, defined to
the three representatives from each Diocese
and 31 appointees of the Archbishop at the
Clergy-Laity Congress in 1992, is an "advisory and consultative" body for the Archbishop . Following precedent, the new
Archbishop created a larger Council in
March of 1997. This extraordinary Council, the most inclusive in the history of the
Archdiocese, was charged with assisting
the Archbishop in achieving the transition
from the 37 year tenure of the fonner Archbishop. This Council will conclude its responsibilities at the Clergy-Laity Congress
of 1998. The new Archdiocesan Council
will be constituted in full accordance with
the UPR and return to the normative number.
III. Church Finances and Stewardship
The stewardship of the Parishes is a sacred offering to God. The Total Commitment Program of the Archdiocese calls for
a 15% commitment by each parish of their
total budget to the National Ministries of
the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese works
with individual parishes on a case by case
basis to optimize this vital stewardship role
of each parish.
The financial management of the Archdiocese is overseen by the Archdiocesan
Council and Office of Finance. Mr. George
Chelpon, the auditing accountant of the
9
Archdiocese has been appointed Acting
Director of Finance.
The Archdiocese is audited by BDO
Seidman. The 1996 audit was the first consolidated audit in the history of the Archdiocese and has been published in it entirety in the Orthodox Observer (May 5,
1998). The 1997 audit is proceeding and
will be available by the Clergy-Laity Congress.
IV. Acquisition of an Official Residence for the Archbishop
Recently, an initiative was taken in order to acquire an official residence for the
Archbishop. The current official residence
is worthily occupied by His Eminence
Archbishop lakovos. Archbishop Spyridon,
after completing nearly two years of ministry as Archbishop, has been living in a
rental home. The Finance Committee of the
Archdiocesan Council thought it prudent
and recommended that rental money be
used to acquire a permanent residence. An
initial expenditure of$139,000 was issued
by the Archdiocese to secure this home.
Upon discussing this matter at a recent
Executive Meeting of the Archdiocesan
Council, members of the Committee
thought it best to study further options re-
garding such a purchase and questioned the
procedure by which the house was secured.
As a result, His Eminence directed that the
initial payment of$139,000 be immediately
returned with interest to the treasury of the
Archdiocese (this transaction occurred on
May 7, 1998) and that no further Archdiocesan action be taken which would lead
to the acquisition of this residence.
V. Patriarchal Visit Cost Overrun
Although the visit of His All Holiness
did expend more funds than collected to
cover its expenses, the visit, the most covered and extensive in history, has been
deemed well worth the expense by the vast
majority of Orthodox Christians in the
United States as witnessed by the Press
(over 2300 articles around the country) and
Internet activity generated by the visit.
Every effort is being made in order to cover these expenses.
VI. Archdiocesan Yearly Offering to
the Ecumenical Patriarchate
The Ecumenical Patriarchate is the
Mother Church of the Archdiocese, and as
such receives the generous support of her
faithful children in America, as well as all
its spiritual children around the world in
the many Eparchies of the Ecumenical Pa-
triarchate.
The tradition ofthe loghia, the free-will
offering to the Mother Church, goes back
to the days of the Apostles. In the years
following Pentecost, the Church in Jerusalem was seen as the Mother of the Churches, Holy Sion, and from around the basin
of the Mediterranean, wherever the Apostles planted the Faith, offerings were made
to the Mother Church (e.g. Romans
15:25-27).
This tradition lives on in the Orthodox
Church and is in full accord with the decisions and biennial approval of the
Clergy-Laity Congresses. The Greek Orthodox Faithful of America can be proud
that they are standing in the traditions of
the Apostles in continuing the work of
Christ by their support of the Mother
Church.
VII. Hellenic College/Holy Cross
There has never been any suggestion,
recommendation or proposal that any of the
assets or property ofHC/HC be sold since
the accession of Archbishop Spyridon, nor
will there be. Any assertion to the contrary
is categorically false.
Hellenic College/Holy Cross is fully
accredited by the New England Associa-
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GREEK-AMERICAN REVIEW
tion of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and
the Association of Theological Schools
(A TS), as well as the Theological Schools
of the Universities of Athens and Thessaloniki, and is a full and participating member of the Boston Theological Institute. HC!
HC has just completed another academic
year, educating and spiritually training the
young men and women of our Holy Archdiocese. There was a focused site visit to
the School by NEASC and A TS on May
19, 1998 in response to a complaint lodged
against our School.
There has been no change to the governing structure of HCIHe. The Board of
Corporate Members of Hellenic College!
Holy Cross, the Executive Committee and
the Board of Trustees are functioning in
compliance with the by-laws and established policies and procedures.
A presidential search committee has
been established in order to identify a new
president for the School. In addition, Archbishop Spyridon has personally taken the
lead in raising the necessary funds to complete the new library by the Fall of 1998.
VIII. St. Basil's Academy
There has never been, any suggestion,
recommendation or proposal that any ofthe
assets or property of the Academy be sold
since the accession of Archbishop Spyridon, nor will there be. Any assertion to the
contrary is categorically false.
There has been no change to the governing structure ofSt. Basil's Academy and
it continues to function with its Executive
Committee and Board of Trustees. The mission of the Academy remains the same; to
care for the spiritual, educational and physical needs of needy children. The National
Philoptochos generously continues its
decades-long support of the Academy, and
plays a major role in the mission and governance of the Academy.
IX. The Orthodox Christian Mission
Center (OCMC)
The OCIVIC exists to serve the Gospel
of Christ and operates under the aegis of
its parent body, SCOBA.
The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) continues to receive the unqualified support of the Archdiocese. Recently, the Archdiocese supplied OCIVIC
with is national mailing list, and the Archdiocese is urging the other member jurisdictions to do the same.
X. The Role of Clergy and Laity
JUNE, 1998
The Church recognizes the particular
talents, gifts and charismata which belong
to each member of the Body of Christ. The
laity, as members of the Church, participate in the life of the Church principally.
through their participation in the Mystical
Life of the Church, the Sacraments. The
Apostolic nature of the Church works hand
in hand with the participatory role of the
laity.
In America, we are blessed to carry out
the mission of the Church and our Lord
Jesus Christ, in a very special way, guided
by the Charter and UPR. They provide for
the active participation of the laity on the
local, Diocesan and Archdiocesan level.
The Clergy of the Archdiocese are supported by the faithful in accordance with
the apostolic practice, and are being cared
for with a national and Pan-Orthodox health
insurance plan, and are participants in the
Archdiocesan Pension Program which has
existed since the early 1970s. The pension
funds are held separately in accordance
with federal regulations and are overseen
and invested by a committee of clergy and
lay people.
XI. Inter-Church and Inter-Faith
Marriages
Archbishop Spyridon has established a
national ministry to spouses and children
ofInter-Christian and Inter-Faith Marriages. The Inter-Faith Marriage Committee of
the Archdiocesan Council has met in order
to discern the pressing needs of this ministry. The Rev. Fr. Charles Joanides is heading this ministry and is laying the foundations for a holistic Archdiocesan approach
to this opportunity to embrace all people
with the love of Christ.
XII. Permanent Diaconate and Married Episcopacy
For 2000 years, the Diaconate of the
Church has been an integral order of the
Church, established by Christ through the
Apostles themselves. Every Orthodox
priest in the world has served as a Deacon.
The role of the Diaconate is vital to the life
and ministry of the Church. The Church
encourages and seeks out greater vocations
to the Diaconate and to the Holy Priesthood. At this time, when there is a greater
need for priests to serve the parishes of the
Archdiocese, there is a more visible lack
in the presence of the Diaconate. Everyone prays for the day when the Holy Diaconate will be a more frequently celebrat-
ed office in the Church.
The issue of married bishops is a canonical one requiring study and reflection on a
universal basis among all Orthodox
Churches world-wide. The Church universally adopted a celibate episcopacy in the
6th century AD.
XIII. Clergy Misconduct
There are policies and procedures in
place regarding clergy misconduct, which
are in accordance with canon law, civil law,
liability requirements and pastoral psychology. The office of the Chancellor may be
contacted for further information.
XIV. How Do We Dialogue as a
Church?
The Church enters most perfectly into
dialogue with all of Her children through
the Mystery of Mysteries, the Divine Liturgy . Weare called first and foremost into
a dialogue with God Himself, and from this
dialogue, we learn how to speak with one
another.
As the Apostles were confronted with
administrative issues and how the Gospel
of Christ could truly be actualized in the
day-to-day ministry to the faithful, they
came together inspired by the Holy Spirit,
to wisely "divide the word of truth." No
human system is perfect, but we in the
Archdiocese of America have been given
a structure of Parish Councils, Diocesan
Councils, the Archdiocesan Council,
Clergy-Laity Congresses and various
Boards and Commissions related to
every, ministry of the Church. By the grace
of God, the clergy and lay people participate together in the ministry which Christ
has granted to us. As in every family, differences do not necessarily mean division.
They can be opportunities for dialogue. It
is the sacred obligation of all the members
of the family to devote their time, energy
and resources to strengthen the context of
that dialogue and the bonds that unite us.
As we seek to understand one another
and give our Church and our children the
very best that we have, let us never compromise the unity of our family. Let differences be that opportunity to strengthen our
relationships with one another. And let the
perfect love of God, expressed to us in the
Resurrection of Christ Jesus, be our inspiration and the light which guides us to the
perfect unity of the faith.
11
GOAL CORRECTIVE RESOLUTIONS
REJECTED BY ARCHDIOCESE
Greek
Orthodox
American
Leaders
On May 21, 1998 the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
America, under His Eminence Archibishop Spyridon, issued
a memorandum officially rejecting the corrective actions in
the resolutions adopted nearly unanimously by the 450
faithful from 25 states who attended the GOAL National
Conference in Chicago on March 21, 1998.
GOAL Resolution 2C calls for correcting actions
which are inconsistent with the Archdiocesan
Charter of 1977, including the breakup of the
Archdiocese into areas overseen by Metropolitans
of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Archdiocese
Memorandum Section I argues in favor of those
actions.
GOAL Resolution 3F calls for correcting actions
which are inconsistent with the Archdiocesan
Regulations, including Archbishop Spyridon's
attempt to add over 100 extra individuals to the
Archdiocesan Council. Archdiocese Memorandum
Section II acknowledges this error, but indicates
that it will not be corrected before the Clergy-Laity
Congress in Orlando, thereby disrupting the
Congress.
GOAL Resolution 3G calls upon the Archdiocese
to adhere to the determination of the Clergy-Laity
Congress that the 15% guideline for parish
contributions to the Archdiocese is voluntary.
Archdiocese Memorandum Section III indicates
that the Archdiocese will continue its coercive
collection practices.
GOAL Resolution 4A calls for the immediate
appointment of a certified public accountant as
Finance Director of the Archdiocese. Archdiocese
Memorandum Section III states that Mr. George
Chelpon who is the son of a priest, and thus
subject to intimidation, has been appointed
Acting Director of Finance. He apparently is not
a certified public accountant.
GOAL Resolutions 4B and 41 call for adherence
to the budget approved by the Clergy-Laity
Congress, with any variations being approved by
the Archdiocesan Council prior to their
expenditure.Archdiocese Memorandum Section
III ignores this resolution, just as the
Archdiocese has ignored the budget. As a result,
the Archdiocese is running a substantial deficit.
GOAL Resolution 48 calls for the removal of
Mr. John Mavroudis, the General Counsel, and
Rev. Fr. George Passias the Chancellor, as
signatories on the Archdiocesan accounts.
Archdiocese Memorandum Section IV ignores
this resolution. Last month, Mr. Mavroudis and
Fr. Passias signed an unauthorized check for
$139,500 as a non-refundable deposit on an
unauthorized contract to purchase a 1.4 million
personal residence for Archbishop Spyridon.
GOAL Resolution 4C calls for the completion
and distribution, "prior" to the Clergy-Laity
Congress, of audited 1997 financial statements
for the Archdiocese.Archdiocese Memorandum
Section III says the 1997 audit will be available
"by" the Clergy- Laity Congress, too late for the
Congress to exercise proper oversight of the
serious financial problems of the Archdiocese.
GOAL Resolution 4D calls for a full audit of the
1997 Patriarchal visit. Archdiocese Memorandum
Section V acknowledges the cost overrun of the
Patriarchal visit, and the fact that the expenses
(continued on the next page)
12
GREEK"AMERICAN REVIEW
have not yet been covered, but ignores the
resolution calling for an audit.
GOAL Resolution 4E calls for a full accounting
of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's expenditure of
funds sent to it by the Archdiocese.Archdiocese
Memorandum Section VI ignores this resolution.
GOAL Resolution 5B calls for the restructuring
of Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek
Orthodox School of Theology to eliminate the
Board of Corporate Members, and to vest the
governance In its Board of Trustees.Archdiocese
Memorandum Section VII rejects any change to
the dysfunctional governing structure ofthe school.
GOAL Resolution 5C calls for the reinstatement
of the president, the two professors, and the
librarian of Hellenic College/Holy Cross to their
positions. Archdiocese Memorandum Section VII
rejects this resolution, noting that a committee has
been established to search for a new president.
GOAL Resolution 6D calls for the Philoptochos
to have a majority of the voting seats on the Board
of Trustees of St. Basil Academy. Archdiocese
Memorandum Section VIII rejects any change to
the governing structure of St. Basil Academy.
GOAL Resolution 8A pleads for leadership of our
Church by moral example and 10ve.Archbishop
Spyridon and the Archdiocese Memorandum have
failed to respond to this plea, even though
members ofthe Archdiocesan Council Executive
Committee have joined GOAL in calling for
Archbishop Spyridon's resignation and for a full
audit of all financial transactions conducted
during his tenure.
GOAL Resolution 8B rejects the notions of blind
loyalty, blind obedience, and blind submission,
as inconsistent with our Orthodox theology and
the culture of our Church in America.
The Archdiocese rejected this resolution
immediately after the GOAL Conference by
attempting to coerce clergymen, in
McCarthyesque fashion, to sign letters pledging
personal loyalty to Archbishop Spyridon. The
Archdiocese Memorandum ignores this
resolution.
GOAL resolution 9 A calls for the appointement
of a national commission of clergy and lay
experts to investigate allegations of clergy sexual
misconduct.Archdiocese Memorandum Section
XIII rejects this resolution by referring the issue
to the office of the Chancellor and citing
undisclosed policies and procedures. Meanwhile
the Church has failed to take any disciplinary
action whatsoever against the priest who 15
months ago molested an underclassman at the
seminary, or against another priest who 15 weeks
ago was convicted by a Vermont jury of
committing a lewd and lascivious act upon a 12
year old girl.
On Match 27, 1998, in accordance with GOAL Resolution IOC we presented our resolutions to His Eminence
Archbishop Spyridon and His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew, and requested an audience as soon as possible to
discuss and resolve our concerns. Having received no response by May 1, 1998, GOAL's Board ofOirectors, in
order to protect and maintain our Church for our children and future generations, complies with GOAL Resolution
100 as follows:
GOAL calls for the resignation or reassignment of Archbishop Spyridon, and the election of a new archbishop
in accordance with the provisions of the Archdiocesan Charter of 1977. We seek an audience with His
All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to discuss and resolve our concerns.
We pray for the unity and the future of our Church in America.
Be a Leader. Join GOAL. Call or write for your copy of the Conference Resolutions.
Tel: 617 965-7789 Fax: 617 965-7469 Greek Orthodox American Leaders, Inc. One Kendall Square, Suite 2200,
Cambridge, MA 02139
E-mail: [email protected] World Wide Web: http://www.voithia.org
JUNE, 1998
13
G.O.A.L. CANCELS MEETING
WITH THE ARCHBISHOP
Statements by Leaders of the Organization
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS:The Executive Director of Greek Orthodox
American Leaders sought a meeting with
His Eminence, Archbishop Spyridon of
America in order to personally convey the
request that he resign as he ignored for five
weeks both private and public requests to
discuss the resolutions of concern by the
faithful taken on March 21. The resolution
seeking dialogue and absent any dialogue
through May 1st his voluntary resignation
or reassignment by Patriarch Bartholomew ofIstanbul, Turkey, was taken 434 to 6
at G.O.A.L. 'So March Chicago National
Conference attended by Greek Orthodox
faithful from 25 states.
Dr. Thomas Lelon, Executive Vice President, Dean of Academic Affairs at Nichols
College, and for ten years President of the
Greek Archdiocese's Hellenic College /
Holy Cross School of Theology, now one
of two ofG.O.A.L. 'S oExecutive Directors
said "we sought and expected that our
meeting with His Eminence, and perhaps
one of his aides, would be a private conversation between a spiritual father and his
spiritual sons. But, Archbishop Spyridon
extended only personal invitations to Dr.
Collis and myself and Mr. John Marks to
meet with him at the Archdiocese on Monday, June 1st 1998 at 10:30a.m. However,
Archbishop Spyridon publicized the invitations in the form of a press release naming G.O.A.L., including the date and time,
without any prior communication or agreements with us. Furthermore, this invitation
was offered on the eve of the arrival of the
Patriarch to the United States. On reflection, it is easy to conclude that this is an
attempt by His Eminence and advisors to
engage in a public-relations event, not a
sincere effort to resolve the concerns presently confronting the Church."
Lelon added, "We are saddened to learn
that Archbishop Spyridon insists that we
first be required to meet with different delegations representing the Archbishop before we may meet with him. We feel that
such arrangements encourage polariza-
14
tion."
Dr. John Collis, a Cleveland neurosurgeon also one ofG.O.A.L. ' SoExecutive Directors, wrote to Archbishop Spyridon:
"After
being
characterized
as
para-ecclesiastical, your invitation is particularly poignant. Unfortunately, the preconditions for the meeting as established
by Your Eminence go beyond our purpose
for this meeting. Dialoguing with others
regarding our concerns over matters of
Archdiocesan governance is better suited
to a different forum . Since our ten day long
effort to arrange mutually acceptable conditions for the meeting was not successful,
our Board of Directors unanimously voted
not to meet at this time with Your Eminence."
G.O.A.L. officer, Voithia publication
founder and industrial computer software
businessman Harry Coin said "G.O.A.L.'S
Mission Statement and National Conference resolutions show openly and unmistakably that neitherG .O.A.L.'S leadership
nor those voting at the March 21 National
Conference have or seek quarrels with any
Archdiocesan or Patriarchal organization
s.The Archbishop doesn't seem to comprehend the reality that all of these organizations came to be and continue to exist in
part due to G.O.A.L. supporters, friends
and their families , which all predate Archbishop Spyridon's arrival in America by
decades. Everybody except the new people at the Archdiocese make use of communications pathways established generations ago and do not need to spend a day to
get clear about present realities.
"The unpublicized and so troubling part
of the Archdiocesan meeting notice was the
absolute take- it-or-Ieave-it Archdiocesan
requirement that the three invited G.O.A.L.
officers be required first to spend the better part of a day in some sort of negotiations with groups of the new people in
Archbishop Spyridon ' s inner circle who
follow whatever direction Archbishop Spyridon sets-but without the Archbishop
present. That quarrel-frought activity just
isn't in furtherance of what G.O.A.L.'S National Conference has empowered
G.O.A.L. leadership to do. Remember that
from March 21 through May I G.O.A.L.'S
leadership diligently sought both privately
and publicly, and on many levels, to adhere to the resolutions and participate in
any process organized either by Archbishop Spyridon or Patriarch Bartholomew
which would resolve the faithful's concerns.
In all that time, there was no reply at
all, only many Archdiocesan characterizations that the people sharing G.O.A.L. 's
concerns were "outside" the Church. Yet
we all receive the same communion, how
does a Christian get more "in the Church"
than that? So, on May I with heavy hearts
G.O.A.L.'S leadership was compelled to
act in obedience to the will of the faithful
from 25 states who voted 434 to 6 at the
National Conference to ask for the voluntary resignation of Archbishop Spyridon or
his reassignment by the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the good of the Church. We have
been advertising that request ever since and
sought to communicate that in person to
His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon."
"Nevertheless, as it remains in keeping
with G.O.A.L.'S mission we are diligent
in our respectful and ongoing efforts to preserve the unity of the Church and to meet
and discuss the full range of the concerns
of the faithful and G.O.A.L.'S mission with
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew I. Given our evident and
good faith attempt to meet privately with
Archbishop Spyridon according to Church
protocol we fervently hope that His All
Holiness finds time to meet with us while
it remains economical for all during his
current trip to Canada as finding support
for many trips to the Phanar given the
present climate would be difficult", Coin
concluded.
Patriarch Bartholomew is the latest in a
long line of prelates dating back even before modern Istanbul, Turkey was founded and called Constantinople. The Patriarch
GREEK·AMERICAN REVIEW
G.O.A.L. RE-INVITED
His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, in
a letter to the Executive Directors of the
organization, G.O.A.L., reiterated his in(Greek for the Latin word "Pope"), was
understood to be the first-among-equals of
all the world's Christians. Now, at least in
international affairs, the Patriarchate from
antiquity leads a unified-in-faith group of
many Orthodox national Churches with
hundreds of millions of Orthodox Christian faithful, most of whom reside in Asia
and Eastern Europe. Currently. there are a
several million Orthodox faithful in North
America. North America is the largest national Orthodox Church which does not yet
govern its own affairs.
Dean G. Popps, G.O.A.L. Board member and President of Trammell Crow's
DFW/Teleport, said regarding the recent
failed attempts at a G.O.A.L./Spyridon
meeting: "We feel that we have been dealt
with in bad faith-- it is clear to all of us that
what the hierarchy wants is not a meeting
and resolution, but a public relations gimmick designed to help the Archbishop save
face with his boss during his trip here- a
boss who, by every indication, is actively
aware of the multitude of problems facing
and created by the brief and to date unsuccessful reign of Archbishop Spyridon".
Popps added, "Announcing a meeting
without full prior agreement was thoroughly unprofessional and in keeping with the
bizarre downward tum of events that have
been continually emanating from the Archbishop's office. Our people are surgeons
and CEO's who many depend upon, they
can't just drop everything on any given day
the Archbishop picks, " Popps continued.
"The Archbishop seems to neither understand nor respect American professionalism and excellence. This is the reason for
the breakdown in communications with us
and within the Archdiocese as a whole",
Popps said.
Popps concluded, "The G.O.A.L. leadership are all professional people, there is
no time for Byzantine political games or to
be deterred from our mission. Enough is
enough, absent any resolution from Patriarch Bartholomew or Archbishop Spyridon, we're on to our next incremental action-- to more fully awaken the laity
through publicizing the facts and to be
present at the clergy-laity conference in
Orlando."
JUNE,1998
vitation, in response to their own request,
to come to the Archdioceses headquarters
for a meeting.
On Sunday night, May 31, 1998,
G.O.A.L. faxed a message to the Archdiocese declining the invitation of the Archbishop.
The text of the letter re-inviting the
leaders of G.O.A.L., follows. Dear Dr.
Collis and Dr. Lelon.
It is with a prayerful heart that I greet
you in anticipation of the coming of the
Holy Spirit, Who renews and refreshes all
things.
We have received your letter of May
31, 1998, and are disappointed that after
many conversations with one another in
order to find the most constructive. way,
to dialogue and to come together primarily as a Greek Orthodox Christian family,
and also to address your very specific concerns which were passed as resolutions at
the Chicago, ofG.O.A.L. conference, the
Board of Directors ofG.O.A.L. voted not
to accept our invitation to meet at the Arch-
diocese.
It was our heartfelt hope that we would
have been able to meet and dialogue at\ the
Archdiocese, in order to understand one
another better, and work to find common
ground for the sake of our Holy Archdiocese.
It is my prayer as the shepherd of the
Church in America that the Board of Directors ofG.O.A.L. will reconsider our invitation to:
I) come together in prayer,
2)gather lay people together to discuss
the G.O.A.L. resolutions and concerns,
3 )and personally engage me in a full and
open dialogue.
By coming together as one Greek Orthodox Christian family, we will find that
he best interests of our Church are always
served by dialogue and cooperation, and
that ultimately, there is so much more that
unites us. May the Holy Spirit, Who guides
and strengthens His Holy Church, be with
you and grace you with health, peace, and
every good thing.
With paternal love in Christ,
SPYRIDON
Archbishop of America
GOAL Sends Pension Rights Letter to Clergy
OAKLAND, CA: G.O.A.L.is sending a
letter to all clergy in the Greek Archdiocese of America to inform them about their
rights under the Archdiocese Pension Plan.
The letter was prepared at G.O.A.L.'S
expense by Wall Street pension attorney
David Preminger of Rosen, Preminger &
Bloom. G.O.A.L. retained Preminger in response to concerns expressed by many clergymen about the security of their pension
benefits. In particular, some told G.O.A.L.,
they feared that speaking publicly about the
crisis in the Church might somehow jeopardize their pension benefits.
Preminger's 14 page letter answers the
questions presented by G.O.A.L.and discusses the applicable law and the pension
plan in detail.
"As we read the documents which were
provided to us," the letter states "once you
have 5 years of credited services, your benefits are nonforfeitable, that is they may not
be taken away regardless of anything
which you might have done of which your
employer disapproves."
"We asked Mr. Preminger to indepen-
dentIy review the Pension Plan and associated documents, and to thoroughly address
the concerns expressed," said GOAL executive director Dr. Thomas C. Lelon. "We
believe that he has done an excellent job,"
Lelon added.
"One of the most tragic aspects of this
crisis up until now," Lelon said, "has been
that so many of our beloved clergy have
felt too intimidated to speak out publicly,
althought privately they are deeply concerned about the future of the Church."
"We pray that by truthfully informing our
clergy about their pension rights, we can
help lift the cloud offear and intimidation
so that our Clergy will feel free to express
their concerns publicly," Lelon concluded.
G.O.A.L.is a non-profit tax-exempt educational and charitable corporation organized wider the laws of the commonwealth
of Massachusetts. Over 450 Greek Orthodox Christians from 28 states attended
G.O.A.L.'s First National Conference in
Chicago on March 20-21, 1998. An important part of G.O.A.L.'s mission, as stated
in its mission statement is to "support the
well-being of our clergy".
15
STORIES ABOUT GREEK - AMERICANS
IN AMERICA'S WARS
D- DAY: The Military Gamble That Shaped History
By Prof. G.e. KIRIAKOPOULOS
Fifty -four years have elapsed since that
bloody day on June 6, 1944 when thousands of Allied troops landed on the beaches ofNonnandy, France. It was an heroic
military effort to breach Adolf Hitler's
European fortress, so to liberate the conquered people of that continent and thus
bring the European phase of the Second
World War to a victorious conclusion. This
historic military operation was the greatest
invasion since William the Conqueror
crossed the English Channel and invaded
England in 1066. These landings in Normandy represented the apotheosis of American military power in a common purpose
together with the American Allies of that
period in time.
Today the events of invasion evoke
tears in the eyes of the surviving, aging
veterans of that campaign when they meet
to celebrate a memorable historic day. They
speak of their fears and anxieties as their
assault boats headed for the beaches. They
remember the turbulent waters, the snap-
ping sound of bullets, and the roar of artillery from the enemy defenses. They renember the beach littered with their dead and
wounded comrades lying in that gravelly
sand. The survivors of that battle pause in
their reflections as tears cloud their eyes;
the images evoked through the many years
will never dim or disappear.
Thousands American combat infantrymen and tankers landed on those. Branches designated as OMAHA BEACH on that
memorable historic day. They came from
the American First Division-often referred
to as the Big Red one - the oldest military
unit in the U.S. Army dating back to the
Revolutionary Days. Those brave young
men also came from the 29th Division, and
from the specialized ranks of the Second
and Fifth Ranger Battalions, whose assignment was to spearhead the assault from the
sea.
Amongst the thousands who struggled
through the surf and over the beaches in
those early morning hours of June 6th,
1944, were many Anericans of Greek ancestry. There was Lieutenant John Michelis, sergeant Christopher Gerulakis, and
Privates Peter Yaniotis, Dino Carabelis,
John Kalogredis, George Nestor, and
George Kiriakopoulos. And there were others, all heroes for just being there on Omaha Beach on that historic day.
What follows is the reminiscent story of
one of these heroic Greek-Americans.
We touched dawn at 06:30 A.M., June
6th, 1944. It was D-Day at Omaha Beach
on the coast of Normandy.
It finally happened. For months we had
heard rumors that this day was coming and
now it was here.
The ship's PA system awakened us during the early morning hours of June 6th,
We had become so restless, nervous, and
bored on ship during the day of the Fifth
that most of us had fallen asleep. Not even
the continuous roll of the ship disturbed our
slumber, not until that gruff voice on the
PA sounded.
Allied Supreme Command met throughout thejirst six months of 1944 to planfor the invasion ofEurope. Left to right: Brandley. Admiral Sir
Bertram Ramsey, Tedder, Eisenhower, Montgomery, Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, and Leiutenant General Walter Bedell
Smith, Eisehower's chief of staff.
JUNE,1998
17
Sometime after midnight of June 6th,
the weather had improved, the seas had quieted, and the huge invasion armada began
that trip across the English channel toward
the coast of France.
At 03:00 a.m., we were summoned to
muster on deck in unit ranks. Our company officers informed us what lay ahead of
us that morning. We were to land on a portion of the French coast called Normandy.
The hour of the invasion, H-Hour as designated militarily, would be 06:30 Hours.
Our mission would be to knock out the pillboxes at the Vierville exit, destroy the enemy machine-gun emplacements, and secure the beachhead for the troops that were
to follow. Our area of the beachhead was
designated as Omaha Beach.
Once the beachhead bad been secured,
we were to move inland and make contact
with our paratroopers who were even now
landing behind German lines. And so, we
waited on deck for the hour to come for
this great adventure to begin. If we were
fortunate to survive this historic event, it
would be indeed a great adventure to tell
our grandchildren.
As the first streaks of light broke th-
trough the darkness of the eastern sky, we
were able to discern, for the first time, the
huge armada of transports arid warships
that had anchored around us. It was formidable. One of our men muttered, I feel sorry for those Krauts. We smiled and some
laughed at the remark, but it was a hollow
nervous laugh coming from young men
who in a few hours would come
face-to-face with death.
We stood at ease on deck, still in ranks
of three, waiting for the signal to go over
the side. While we waited, some rations
were distributed amongst us. This was to
be our breakfast. Very few of these cans
were opened. After all, who was hungry to
eat such coldunpalable nourishment, particularly at such an hour. Sometime before
04: 00 hours, the stillness of the pre-dawn
night was broken by the ear-shattering roar
of artillery fire . Salvo after salvo echoed
from the turrets of British and American
warships as the preliminary bombardment
of the invasion beaches began. We could
not identify the fire support ships, but we
knew they were out there for they announced their presence by their continuous.
One of the ship's officers stated that the
support ships in our sector included the old
battleships U.S.S. Texas and Arkansas and
the British cruisser H.M.S. Glasgow. Someone added that the U.S.S. Nevada - the that
was damaged by the Japanese and beached
at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 - was
also out there shooting at the enemy. We
felt exceptionally good hearing that latter
report. "Give 'em hell!" someone shouted
over the din of fire. There was no argument with that exclamation.
At 04:30 hours, an hour-and-a-halfbefore sunrise, the first assault boats departed from their mother transports and started
the eleven mile run to the beach. It would
take them two hours to negotiate that wallowing trip to their destination. In the
meantime, the warships continued their
deadly fire on the German beach fortifications. Somehow, over the roar of this naval cannonade, we were able to distinguish
a hum that emanated from above. We recognized it for what it was; a huge armada
of bombers, either B- ITs or B-24 ' s, taking their tum at the enemy strong points
on the beach and beyond. We felt comfortable with the sound of their presence.
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GREEK"AMERICAN REVIEW
When the sun finally rose like a huge
ball in the eastern sky at 6:00 A.M., we were
able to see more clearly. From where we
stood on deck, near the rail of the ship, we
were able to distangmsh the transports and
warships around us. And in the water, the
wakes of the assault boats heading for shore
-were discerneble. The morning mist and
slight overcast made it impossible for us to
distinguish the French coast.
We were told by our company commander that A, B, and C Company of our
battalion had already departed from their
respective ship for the beach. Yet, D, E,
and F Company bad not received any such
order to disembark. That was strange, we
thought, for we had trained to go in as a
whole unit. So we stayed on deck and waited, and waited, and waited, growing more
and more nervous with each passing moment.
At H-Hour, 06:30 A.M., the naval bombardment ceased. The men of the lead assault companies would now be on the
beach. The only activity visible to us
through the dim Iight of early morning were
the wakes of many assault boats circling in
the heavy seas waiting for the order to head
toward shore. Here and there, a sleek destroyer glided past our ship heading toward
shore in support of our landing forces.
When the wind was right, we could hear
the distinct, distant roar of artillery fire. We
looked at each other, surprised and perplexed. If that sound came from German
guns, how did they survive the heavy naval and air bombardment? That was the
surprise. We were perplexed that we had
not yet received orders to join the assault.
It started to dawn on us that something must
have gone wrong with the first waves that
hit Omaha Beach.
We were soon to learn and see for ourselves that the men of the first waves that
went ashore at H-Hour were met with a
deadly volley of artillery and machine-gun
fire. This was the distant fire we had heard
from the deck of our ship. The German defense positious had survived the earlier
naval and air
and were now responding to the assault.
The first troops to land on Omaha Beach
entered a cauldron ofhell.German artillery
emplaced in concrete bunkers and Pillboxes
fired at Point blank range at the assault
boats. Many boats were hit, blownup, or
set afire, killing the troops even before they
JUNE,1998
Assault boats headingfor Omaha beach with naval wasrhips rendering supporting fire.
had the opportunity to reach the beach.
Other assault boats dropped the ramps too
soon, forcing the men to jump into chest
and neck-high water as they waded to
shore.
Carrying the heavy weight of bazooka
shells, bandoleers of ammunition, assorted weapons, and a full field pack, made it
very difficult for them to maneuver through
the deep water.
Many were hit while still in the water
and drowned, carried down by the weight
of their burdens. Others made it to the shallow water of the beach, only to be hit by
enemy rifle or machine-gun fire. They lay
there, wounded and unable to move until
the flood tide came in to drown them. The
luckier men were killed outright. Soon the
waters of the surf carried streams of red
frail the blood of the dead and wounded.
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19
Other men of the assault waves succeeded
in wading through the water, under such
intense enemy fire, only to be blown apart
by land mines seeded in the sands of the
beach.
Those of the first and second waves who
survived did so through sheer good fortune.
Lady Luck had smiled on them and walked
beside them. Not only did these men have
to wade through fifty yards of water, under enemy fire, but then they had to cross
300 yards of open beach to the protection
ofthe seawall. When they reached the seawall, they clustered there unable to move.
Most of their company officers had been
severely wounded or killed. The leadership
of these men had settled upon the shoulders of sergeants and privates. By 08:00
a.m., not a single man of the assault group
had penetrated the German defense line at
Omaha Beach to venture inland. The beach
had become so congested that the achmaster ordered that no more assault craft land
at this point until the congestion had been
cleared.
This was the reason why the three companies of my battalion, Company D, E, and
F, had not received orders to disembark
earlier for the run to Omaha Beach. The
men in the first and second waves, who had
encountered such a bloody receptaon at the
hands of the German defenders, included
the men of our three companies, A, B, and
C of our 5th Ranger Battalion.
Long before the beachmaster, an Omaha beach had given clearance for the next
wave of troops to go ashore, we had received our orders to disembark.
"All soldiers to your boats!" the PA system finally barked.
"O.K., Men, over the rail we go! Let's
go! Let's go! Quickly!"
Slowly, clumsily, even after all the training, we went over the ship's rail and started down the rope ladders. The assault craft
below was waiting for us, bobbing up and
down with the swell of each wave.
My rifle was slung across my back over
the field pack. My hands held on tightly to
the rope ladder being careful not to slip.
One false step and I could fall between the
bulkheads of the assault boat and the ship.
I did not cherish the thought of such an occurrence. I would rather face the Germans
on shore.
As I descended, I tried to guage the distance that would be needed to drop to the
deck of the assault craft. I noted that if I
timed my descent I would have to jump
only four feet from the end ofthe rope ladder onto the deck of the boat, when it rose
to the peak of a swell. Otherwise, it would
be a difficult fifteen-foot drop.
I reached the end of the rope ladder, took
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20
one look down and tuned my jump, as the
assault craft rose. Just then, someone to my
right screamed in pain. One or the men had
his ankle caught between the two bulkheads. It was enough of a distraction for
me to lose my timing. I hesitated. The man
above me lost his patience and rapped my
helmet with his boot. "Keep moving!" he
yelled with the authority of an officer. It
was the voice of our platoon lieutenant.
Just as the assault boat started its descent
into the hollow of the next wave, I let go,
falling the full fifteen feet onto the deck of
the boat. Luckily, I landed on my feet,
smiled at my buddy, and thanked God that
I had landed inside the craft.
There was a trickle of blood running
down the right side of my face. It came
from a cut on my cheek. When I ran my
tongue over one of my right molars, I found
that half of it was missing. I must have
swallowed the other hal f in the excitement
of my jump. When I looked up the side of
the ship, I realized what had happened.
When I jumped into the assault craft, thebutt of my rifle struck the edge of the boat's
bulkhead, swung back and gouged my
cheek.
The assault boat bobbed up and down
in the water as it turned and headed for
shore. The sea was rough and many of the
men in my boat became seasick. A few tried
to throw-up over the side, missed, and got
it all back in their face. Others were smarter, vomiting into their helmet. I wondered
how they could wear that helmet when we
reached the beach. A few of them were too
sick to care. They sat clown in the boat and
threw up all aver themselves. "What a
mess!" I thought to myself. Lucky for me,
I was at the front of the boat and smelled
the clean sea air, instead of the stench of
vomit from those behind me.
The minutes passed quickly during the
assault boat's approach toward the beach.
Artillery and small arms fire was audible
as we got closer. I got curious, placed my
foot on a stanchion, and rose up to look
aver the edge of the ramp. I could see the
approaching shoreline, shrouded in a cloud
of ominous smoke.
"Get your head down, soldier! You want
it blown off?" It was the same lieutenant
again. As ifto put emphasis to his words, a
spray of seawater splashed me full in the
face. I took the hint and ducked down behind the bulkhead.
GREEK-AMERICAN REVIEW
The boat slowed somewhat and then
jolted to an abrupt stop when its bottom
ground against the sandy shore. The ramp
went down almost immediately and the
men moved forward to get out.
"Let's go men! Let's move out quickly!" It was our Platoon lieutenant again. We
dropped into the water waist-high and waded to shore.
The sight that met our eyes startled and
sickened us. There were dead men strewn
all aver the beach in all positions of death.
I froze in my tracks and stared at them. I
had never seen a dead man before.
I looked dawn at one of them . He was
lying there, eyes open, staring blankly at
the sky with a peaceful look on his face. I
knew this man. He was a corporal in Company A of our battalion. Next to him was
another GI with his back tom off. His face
was not as serene. I wondered what pain
he must have felt before he died.
There were other bodies near the water's edge, sane with arms missing, others
with their legs gone. It was a sickening sight
for one who had never seen such grotesque
death before.
My buddy on my right, with whom I
had trained and felt a closeness, stumbled
and fell forward into the surf. I reached
down and pulled him to his feet. His face
was smeared with blood; a bullet had
pierced his brow above the eye. I let himgo. This day was his third wedding anniversary.
While crossing the beach, there came an
unfamiliar sound which I had never heard
before. We had become the targets ofGerman artillery fire . Over the din of battle
someone shouted, "Hit the deck '" It was
not necessary to repeat that order a second
time.
It was a terrifying feeling, particularily
for our initial baptism in battle. Salvo after
salvo of German 88's chewed up the sand
in front and all around us, and we hit the
ground, hugging the ground for protection
from flying shrapnel. Shells exploded in
groups of four, spewing geysers of dirt and
sand skyward.
I, for one, dove headlong into a huge
crater, created earlier by what mist have
been the detonation of a huge caliber cannon. It could have been dug up by one of
our naval shells or by a distant German railway gun. I really did not care which one. I
pushed myself deeper into the bottom of
JUNE, 1998
German obstacles on the shoreline of Omaha beach in Normandy
the crater, as far as I could go. I was not
going to be heroic, not now with shells exploding all around me.
Our platoon lieutenant - the same officer who repeatedly kicked my helmet while
we were descending the rope ladder and
later admonished me for sticking my head
above the bulkhead of the assault boat jumped into the same crater with me. He
positioned himself at the far side of this
huge hole, resting his arm on the rim . He
kept his head above ground, looking about
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21
to locate the rest of the men in our platoon.
Then I heard it coming. It sounded like
a freight train rumbling across a trestle
overhead. It was another large caliber shell
from that German railway gun.
"Get down, lieutenant," I shouted, but
my voice was muffled by the roar of the
explosion. The shell must have detonated
nearby, for the concussion shook the
ground and caused the Bells of St. Mary
to ring in my ears. When the initial shock
bad passed, I dug myself out from the pile
of sand that half-covered me, and looked
around. The lieutenant was still sitting upright at the far end of the crater, seemingly
oblivious to what had just happened. I
stared at him, and as my eyes gradually
focused, I realized that his head was
missing.l half-crawled over to him and
looked at his body. His head was indeed
gone - cleaved off cleanly at the base of
the neck - undoubtedly by a hot piece of
flying shrapnel. The wound looked like a
freshly cut piece of pot roast that my mother
used to bring home from the butcher shop.
Then, I did something for which there
is no explanation. It is what men sometimes
do irrationally when the shock of such stark
reality confronts then for the first time. I
admonished him, "Lieutenant, I warned
you to keep down!" As I said these words,
I shook him by the shoulder. He toppled
over, falling to the bottom of the crater, as
blood gushed out of his torso. His arms and
legs twitched in the final throes of death,
while the hiss of air escaping from his body
sounded like his soul departing.
Between the shelling and the lieutenant
's death, I had enough of my baptism of
fire. I grabbed my rifle and raced for the
protection of the seawall. I reached it in
nothing flat, flinging myself against it,
gasping for air. My feet probably never
touched the ground in that two hundred
yard dash.
I sat there, panting and in shock. A few
minutes before, I bad stared fixedly with a
weird fascination at the first dead American soldiers that I found on the water I s
edge, but the lieutenant was the first man
to die before my eyes. The shock had unnerved me.
I squated with my back leaning againste the sea wall. Momentarily, I felt safe
from German bullets. I glanced across the
stretch of sand toward the sea and saw that
our assault craft was smoking and bobbing
in the water half submerged. The beach;
was littered with the bodiew of american
dead and wounded. Nearby, some medics
were dressing the wounded and giving
blood transfusions to others. It was a terrible sight.
Just then, an officer strolled casually
across the beach as if on parade. He took
one look at me leaning as I was against the
sea-wall."Are wounded, soldier?" he shouted pointing at me. "No, Sir!" I shouted
back. " Are you a Ranger?" he asked further. " Yes, Sir!" I replied. " Then get up
that clift1" he ordered. I needed no further
urging. His command awakened me from
the shock of what I had witnessed until now.
I turned and climbed up the cliff. There was
a battle to be won.
Those are my reminiscenses of D-Day,
June 6, 1944 - events that the passage of
time can never erase from my mind.
EDITOR'S NOTE : Dr. George
C.Kyriakopoulos is a Professor at Columbia University and afrequent contributor
to the GREEK-AMERICAN REVIEW. He
is the author of three books and his articles have been published in many national and international periodicals. The story that follows is excerptedfrom his book,
.. When Duty whispers Low"
Dr. Kiriakopoulos is a combat veteran
having fought in World War 11 in Europe
with the Fifth Ranger Battalion.
He was the the recipient of the DistingUished Service Cross, the Silver Star, and
the Bronze Star beside the coveted Combat Infantryman '05 Badge.
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22
GREEK-AMERICAN REVIEW
THE PHANARIOTES
The Rise to Prominence of Greeks
in Ottoman Constantinople and as Princes in Rumania
By T. PETER LIMBER
taken from his forthcoming book
"HISTORIKA" Short Histories on Hellenic Themes
The permanent loss of the Byzantine
Empire to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 ,
brought an end to the ruling society under
which Christianity grew, and it was replaced by the world of Islam. After many
centuries of Byzantine existence, this political domination abruptly changed a
Greek-speaking and Greek-cultured society, to one ruled by an eastern-Ianguagespeaking people, who were strictly guided
by Koranic law and sharply divergent traditions. It was to take the Greeks of Byzantium about a century to begin to come
out of the shock.
The Ottoman conquest of the Byzantine
Empire's territory was a slow process that
was to take about a century to be fully
achieved. From the middle ofthe fourteenth
century, the Ottomans had relentlessly proceeded to forcefully annex more and more
of Asia Minor. By the end of that century
they had also penetrated into Europe, capturing a vast area from the Balkans to the
Greek peninsula. Finally, practically all that
remained of the Byzantine Empire was the
capital of Constantinople itself. Kept out
by the massive fortification walls that circled the entire city, by other defenses, and
by the determination and bravery of its
defenders, the Ottomans besieged the capital in frustration a number of times, in
1396, 1402, 1414, and 1422. But it was to
be a matter of time before the city would
fall to a well-prepared and equally tenacious attacker. This was to be the 23year-old Sultan, Mehmed II, whose vast
forces furiously cannonaded and broke in
after 53 days offrenzied battles on the ramparts, and the great Byzantine Empire came
to an end on May 29, 1453, having lasted
over 1100 years. Mehmed became known
as "The Conqueror."
In 1203, when Constantinople was conquered by the renegade Latin Crusaders of
JUNE, 1998
the 4th Crusade together with their Vene- community in the capital; Mehmed now
tian allies, I the capital had a population of took steps to induce those that were still
at least 300,000 within its walls, or nearly there to remain, and he offered concessions
a million including the suburbs. During the to attract other Greeks to return. Knowing
fifteenth century, the growing Turkish the Greeks' affinity with their church, his
threat and attacks against the city over the first action, by formal proclamation only
years, caused many to leave for safer areas ten days after the conquest, was to appoint
such as in Greece and the Balkans, and to a new Greek Orthodox Patriarch, and reother parts of Europe and the East. Many store the autonomy of the Greek Church,
of the only 40,000 remaining in the city under the Sultan's protection.
itself, especially among the 7,000 to 8,000
defenders, were slaughtered when the The Patriarch and the Patriarchate
Turks broke in at last on that fateful day of
May 29th, and during the customary three
The appointment of a new Patriarch was
days of pillaging, rapine and brutality. of primary importance to the Greek OrthoMany others were captured to be sold as dox and their confidence about their future
slaves.
in Ottoman Turkey. The previous, GregoMehmed II was not merely a warrior- ry Mammas, had fled to Italy in 1451 over
ruler. Despite his youth, he had vision and the controversy of union with the Latin
statesmanship, he had respect for Greek church, which he had favored and the peolearning and culture (he had Greek blood ple did not. The Sultan's proclamation, rehimself, on his mother's side), and he knew corded in an official firman, gave broad
the limitations of his own people. He could privileges to the new Patriarch and his Synsee clearly that he would have to take im- od and other Church hierarchy. He was also
mediate action to restore the confidence of appointed Ethnarch, or leader of the Greek
non-Muslims, and to
repopulate the city
that was now to be his
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31
laity. Patriarchal courts were permitted to
rule on cases related to religious matters
involving members of the Greek community. A formal group of high officials, selected from members of the prominent
Greek families, constituted the lay administration of the Church.
Mehmed chose a most learned Greek
Orthodox monk, George Scholarios, to be
the new Patriarch, who took the name of
Gennadios. As the great Church of the Holy
Wisdom, the Aghia Sophia, had been converted into a mosque soon after the conquest, the patriarchal coronation took place
in early January 1454 at the Church of the
Holy Apostles, selected by Mehmed as the
new location for the Patriarchal See. The
Sultan lavished many gifts on Gennadios,
including his rich vestments and church
relics. But the Apostles Church was located in what became a Turkish neighborhood,
and these Muslim residents were resentful
of its presence. Within a year it became
prudent to move out of the area, and Gennadios was given permission to chose for
this purpose the Church of S1. Mary Pammakaristos in the Greek district known as
the Phanar (location of a Iighthouse, hence
the name) located near the northwestern
comer ofthe capital. This church had been
a convent, and now the nuns were moved
to another location nearby. The Patriarchate was to remain at this site for more than
a century.
But in 1586, a less sympathetic Sultan,
Murad III, to celebrate his successful cam-
EAAHNIKA
paigns against the Persians, decided to convert the Pammakaristos into a Mosque of
Victory, the Fethiye Cami. The Patriarchate was moved to temporary quarters until
permission was finally given to rebuild the
Church ofSt. George and erect offices and
residences adjacent to it, all located in the
heart of the Phanar, to where they moved
in 1601. The Patriarchate remains there to
this day.
The Phanar and the Phanariotes
Formerly an area where foreign ambassadors had residences, the Phanar was an
attractive area to live in, overlooking the
Golden Hom. With the location there also
of the Patriarchate, a number of wealthy
Greek families located themselves in close
proximity, aggressively making every effort to closely combine the power of the
office of the Patriarch with their own commercial and political interests. These affluent Greek families built or moved into substantial residences and became known as
the Phanariotes. While they competed
among themselves, they also cooperated
together in many commercial ventures and
cemented relationships through intermarriages; and they sought key roles with the
Patriarchate.
Of course, the power and influence emanated from the Sultan's court. So at the
same time, in order to realize the many
benefits possible, these prosperous Greeks
looked for means to ingratiate themselves
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at this key source-in their eagerness willing to risk the hazards to which this close
relationship might expose them. But it was
not difficult to find ways to be useful. Always resourceful, the Phanariotes saw that
the limitations imposed on the Ottomans
by their traditions and their religion, provided opportunities for the urbane Greeks.
The Turks disdained speaking any language except those spoken by Muslims, for
example, while these educated Greeks were
polyglots. Not only were many of them
speaking the eastern languages such as
Turkish, Arabic, and Persian, but they were
educating their sons in leading European
universities, and they were learning Italian, French, and German as well as Russian. While the Turks also had contempt
for commerce, the Greeks excelled as merchants, added to by their capability and
generations-long involvement and experience in shipping. The Islamic religion constrained practicing banking and finance,
and the Greeks quickly filled this need, as
well. For some reason, too, very few of the
Turks were proficient in medicine, and
again, the Greeks sent their sons to universities to study this very useful profession.
Nothing made a more rewarding service
than to cure a high Turkish official from
an illness, especially ifit had been brought
on by his own excesses.
There were others, too, that saw these
advantages and moved to find useful roles,
including the Jews, Armenians, and Syrians. But Constantinople had been dominated by the Greeks in Byzantine times, and
these Phanariotes now saw to it that whatever powers and benefits were available to
non-Turks would predominantly fall into
their hands.
Over the years the intimate involvement
of the Phanariotes with the Patriarchate was
to grow into a relationship that threatened
ecclesiastical_authority. This situation had
become acute because of their having to
work closely together because of the secular responsibility for the Greek Orthodox
ethnic community placed on the Patriarch
by the Sultan. The income of the Patriarchate became dependent on the skills and
experience of financiers and bankers, and
these functions were performed by the Phanariotes and other lay Orthodox. The
Greeks preferred to bring their cases to the
Patriarchal courts, as well, and not only
those involving the Church such as marGREEK-AMERICAN REVIEW
riage and divorce, as they had little trust in
the corrupt Turkish courts. This enlarged
the role of the Patriarchal courts, and the
increased burden led to the appointment of
lay judges. Also, the Patriarchate needed
the influence of the prominent Greeks at
the Sublime Porte. 2 To dignity them in providing many of these efforts, the Phanariotes were given lofty titles and official recognition in the Patriarchal administration.
Over a period of time, having begun with
merely acting as advisers to the Synod, they
insinuated themselves into and began to be
formally appointed to that body, though
they were not clergymen.
As the selection of the Patriarchs was
the privilege ofthe Sultan, and the Phanariotes became officials of both the Patriarchate and the Sultan's court, they could exercise considerable influence on the selection
process. Rivalries among the Phanariotes
led to intrigues and bribery to favor one
candidate or another, and their removal.
Yet, while the Church and the Phanariotes
needed each other, they frequently competed and squabbled together, though for
the most part the Church retained control
of its religious affairs, and the Phanariotes
controlled its administration. But, in the
process, a great many Patriarchs were deposed, and the Turks enjoyed being recipients of the bribes emanating from these
troubled relationships and power struggles.
The Great Interpreters
The Ottomans were involved in several
debilitating wars during the second half of
the sixteenth century: in the east with Persia, and in Europe at various times with
Russia, Poland, Austria, and Venice, and
combinations of these. The wars expanded
the need for diplomatic exchanges, and
their eastern-tradition-bound, weak and disorganized administration was ill-prepared
to handle these relationships. They had
need for official interpreters, known as
dragomans. Their having been educated in
foreign languages, these appointments were
made from among members of selected
Greek families ofthe Phanar. Gradually this
role increased in importance to where certain of these interpreters were given high
rank and the responsibility to directly represent the Porte in its dealings with other
nations and their diplomatic representatives.
JUNE, 1998
In no small way, the success ofthe first stantinople. Alexander's education was
Greek appointed Dragoman defined and similar to his predecessor, studying in
enhanced the role for those to follow, and Rome, Padua, and Bologna. Upon his replaced the position firmly in the hands of turn to Constantinople, he also began to
certain Phanariote families . This first ap- practice medicine, and was so well liked
pointee was Panaghiotes Nikousios that he soon had important patients among
(1613-1673) whose Greek family originally the foreign diplomats, and later the Sultan
came from Trapezos on the southern Black himself. Again, Koprulu observed his many
Sea coast, and who had settled in the Pha- fine qualities, and after the death ofNikounar. Already fluent in Turkish, Arabic, and sios in 1673, appointed Mavrokordatos
Persian, Nikousios was sent by his Grand Dragoman in his place. Except for a
well-to-do family to study at the Universi- brief spell, he was to serve in this position
ty of Padua in Italy, the oldest and finest in until his death in 1709. He especially disEurope after that of Bologna, where he tinguished himself on behalf of the Ottostudied medicine, mathematics, astronomy, man state in 1698, by leading the delicate
and languages. His intellect, statesmanlike negotiations with Poland, Austria, and Vencharacter, uprightness, and self-assurance, ice at the peace congress of Karlowitz to
soon caught the attention of key Europe- end the war of 1683-1697, that the Ottoans and Muslims in Constantinople. He was mans finally lost. He received many lofty
first appointed official interpreter of the titles, and by his usefulness and dignified
Austrian Embassy, while he continued to deportment he opened the way for other
practice medicine. He also became family Phanariotes to follow in this position.
Between 1661 until 1821, twelve Phadoctor to the powerful Grand Vizier, Ahmet Koprulu, who had observed his many nariote families monopolized the office of
capabilities and qualities, and talent in lan- Grand Dragoman; and that of Grand Dragguages, and he began to use Nikousios on oman of the Fleet, who accompanied the
important diplomatic matters. Finally, in Turkish admiral when his vessel put into
1661, he was appointed in the lofty posi- foreign areas controlled by the Ottomans,
tion as Grand Dragoman of the Porte, with to collect taxes or for other purposes. Esmany privileges of
rank formerly reserved only for Muslim officials. He
played a key role in
the
negotiations
when Venice finally
gave up Crete to the
Ottomans in 1669.
Widely acclaimed
and appreciated, he
continued as Dragoman until his death in
1673.
Furthering the
Greek hold on this
leading position, another rich young Phanariote named Alexander Mavrokordatos, followed in Nikousios' footsteps .
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33
ures accruing to seven of the families,3 who
were also to hecome dominant in Rumania, as well.
The Danubian Principalities
When the Turks had begun to overrun
the territories in Europe in the fourteenth
century, the two Danubian provinces of
Wallachia and Moldavia (which form a
large part of modem Rumania) were sorely affected. For years battles raged by all
these Balkan peoples in various alliances,
against Ottoman aggression. Wallachia,
being adjacent to the areas already occupied by the Turks, was finally forced to
accept their overlordship in the fourteenth
century. Though Wallachia was permitted
to be ruled nominally by their own princes
elected by the boyars, or heads of their
noble families, those elected were subject
to the approval of the Sultan. Moldavia
would be forced to suffer the same fate in
the fifteenth century. Nevertheless, these
were the last Christian Orthodox rulers left
from the former Byzantine Empire, and
even though they were vassals they modelled themselves after the old Imperial
court.
At first, there were good relations between the boyars of these provinces with
the influential, wealthy, and well-placed
Phanariotes in Constantinople. The Rumanians found useful the help of the Greeks
in dealing with the Sultan's court; also, the
Phanariotes' relationship and involvement
with the Patriarchate was of great help in
their dealings there. In their tum, the Phanariotes took great interest in the provinces, where they could invest in large tracts
of rich land, away from the direct sight of
the Turkish court officials; they knew how
to gain the good will of the local Ottoman
administrators. There was relative safety in
such arm's length investments compared
to the risk of forfeiture or other arbitrary
liabilities that sometimes took place in Asia
Minor. To enhance relationships a number
ofPhanariotes were married into the noble
families of Wallachi a and Moldavia. For a
number of decades the Rumanian princes
succeeded each other with great regularity, and the Sultan profited financially by
the process. But this reduced even more
what little confidence they had in dealing
with each other, and clearly these relationships were heading to a breaking point.
After a time, a number of the hospodars
(princes) of each of the provinces were of
mixed Rumanian and Greek blood, owing
to the marriages that had been taking place
between these families during the seventeenth century. The last Rumanian prince
of Walla chi a was Constantine Brancovan,
whose mother was an immensely wealthy
Rumanian. She was also of the distinguished Greek Cantecuzenos (Kantakouzinos) family who were related to the boyars
of Wallachia, and by marriage with those
of Moldavia, as well. Brancovan became
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hospodar of Wallachia in 1689, and he
ruled wisely and well for twenty-five years.
But he was too successful, prominent, and
independent. His relations with the Porte
were always conducted with care, yet in
the end he was accused of high treason,
plotting with Russia, Poland, and Venice.
The Sultan deposed him in 1714, and indicative of the wanton and sudden disaster
and cruelty possible at his hands, Brancovan was escorted to Constantinople together with his four sons, where all ofthem were
beheaded one at a time in the sight of their
father, who was beheaded last.
The last Rumanian hospodar of Mold avia was Demetrios Cantemir, whose mother was a Greek and whose wife was also of
the Cantecuzenos family. Cantemir became
prince of Moldavia in 1710. But he lost little time in involving himself secretly in
intrigues against the Porte with Tsar Peter
the Great of Russia. Cantemir's aims were
never realized and the discovery of his activities finally caused him to have to flee
for safety to Russia.
Having had enough of this disloyalty,
the Porte decided to replace the native Rumanian rulers with Phanariote Greeks of
his trust, and who were all too eager to take
over the principalities. Alexander
Mavrokordatos had already laid the
groundwork for this possibility, and now
his son Nicholas was appointed the first
Greek hospodar of Moldavia in 1709. After the execution of Brancovan, was made
hospodar of Wallachia as well, in 1715.
In this new found freedom, the Phanariote princes soon adopted the elaborate
Byzantine court style of the Rumanian
princes who preceded them. Their royal
persons even went beyond this into the exaggerated glitter and pomp of the old Byzantine imperial court. This aside, it ~ould
have been congenial to be able to describe
that affairs in the two principalities proceeded well under the Phanariote princes,
but this was far from the case. What began
as the appointment by the Ottomans of rulers they could trust in their previously politically troublesome territories, soon gave
way to general bribery, corruption, and oppression. As the Sultan's court became
more depraved, the appointment of succeeding princes became an auction in which
the few opportunistic Phanariote families
competed. The greed on both sides became
increasingly more acute, and the price for
GREEK"AMERICAN REVIEW
these coveted positions became higher and
higher. This led to a need for those appointed to derive more income from the provinces to recover the investment and gain
profits by every means of advantaged official commercial businesses, severe taxation, and outright and blatant dishonest
practices. The Greek hospodars became
adept at squeezing profits out of every
transaction or situation. There was a certain urgency. What had started as long tenures as princes, began to be shorter and
shorter, some appointments lasting less
than a year, though most averaged about
three years. The thirty-three different individuals who had ruled the principalities had
come from the same twelve Phanariote
families, and there were seventy-seven
changes of regime during the period beginning in 1709 and ending in 1821. As
the number offamilies supplying the princes were few the bidding was brisk. Not only
did the Sultan shorten the appointments to
derive more income for himself, but there
was also much shifting from one province
to the other. Constantine Mavrokordatos,
for example, was shifted between the two
principalities ten times, managing to serve
twenty-one years total while doggedly persisting in seeking appointments over a
thirty-nine year period. Moreover, Wallachia was the richer of the two provinces.
The Turks quickly learned that the prince
in Moldavia was willing to pay to be appointed to Wallachia, and the prince in
Wallachia was willing to pay not to be
transferred to Moldavia. In addition, at any
time a prince could be denounced that he
was plotting with Russia, Poland, Austria,
or Venice, and his appointment terminated
and estates confiscated, or worse.
But the real hardship was on the Rumanian peasant who was reduced to an overburdened and exploited serf; and the middle class was virtually eliminated. The high
price paid to be appointed prince, and the
dubious length of the appointment, led to
taking terrible advantage of the Rumanian
people. Historian Robert Lee Wolffwrote,4
"During the Phanariot period' in Moldavia and Wallachia , the Greek princes
showed an extraordinary ability to milk
their subjects. " So desperate were they,
that, "... the peasants would burn down
their houses to avoid the hearth or
house-tax, or kill their cattle to avoid a cowtax. " These were only two of the oppresJUNE,1998
sive taxes imposed by the princes on almost everything. Many historians consider that the century or so of the Phanariote
regime "was the darkest page of Rumanian
history." Wolff also wrote, "During the
eighteenth century an occasional enlightened Phanariot ruler, and periodic Austrian and Russian occupations, provided
some relief but did not alter the picture. "
It was to take another event to tragically
alter the picture for the Phanariotes, in their
turn.
The Uprising for
Greek Independence-1821
cupation. Despite their having been born
and living in Ottoman Turkey for generations, they felt a pride in their Hellenic traditions, culture, language, religion, and
long impressive history. At the same time,
these Phanariotes had insinuated themselves well within the circumstances, occupying key roles in the Ottoman administration and in the Danubian principalities.
It did not seem likely that they would be
better off with Greece becoming independent. Yet the view of some of the Phanariotes was from an even greater perspective,
with egotistical dreams of a revival of the
Greek- dominated Byzantine Empire, with
its capital at Constantinople. With the growing disorganization ofthe Ottoman government, as historian Steven Runciman wrote,
Late in the eighteenth century, a number
of Greek patriots began a movement to liberate Greece from the Ottomans. That is a
major story in
itself, but what
concerns us
here is how the
Phanariotes
participated in
this effort,
what
they
achieved, and
what
happened to them
as a result.
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taking place,
many of them
secret and others overt, and
they were not
very comfortable with the
developing
confrontation.
It was not at
all clear to the
rIA OAE1: TI1:
Phanariotes
what their
KOINnNIKE1: 1:A1:
own positions
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35
nariotes was from an even greater perspective, with egotistical dreams of a revival of
the Greek- dominated Byzantine Empire,
with its capital at Constantinople. With the
growing disorganization of the Ottoman
government, as historian Steven Runciman
wrote, " ... the older Phanariots hoped,
there would be such disorder in the central administration that even the Turks
would be content to let the Greeks take over
the government. "
But there were still others who began to
think mainly of a free Greece, and not of a
Turkey where the Greeks might rule.
The Russians had become the patrons
and protectors of the Greek Orthodox
Church, being a large, strong, independent
country of Orthodox people in the immediate geographic vicinity. When Alexander
I succeeded as Tsar in 1801, his sympathetic interest in the Orthodox prompted a
number of misdirected moves by the Ph anariotes. In 1806, both Phanariote Princes
of Moldavia and Wallachia intrigued with
Russia against the Porte and they were
quickly deposed by the Sultan. Wallachia
was occupied by the Russians for six years
as a result, and Moldavia remained as it had
been under another prince. But, indicative
of the resiliency of the Greeks, both Principalities were again headed by other Ph anariotes despite the growing Turkish doubts
about Greek fidelity.
Revolutionary activities accelerated, and
by 1820 plans were made by the Greeks
for a military uprising beginning in Moldavia, and proceeding to Wallachia. The
Balkan Orthodox of whatever nationality
were then expected to rebel against the Ottomans, also seeking their freedom, as
would all the Greeks in the Peloponnese.
Leading these moves were two brothers of
one of the well-known Phanariote families,
Alexander and Dimitrios Ypsilantis, the
first beginning his efforts in the principalities and the other in Greece. Having accompanied their father when he fled to
Russia from Wallachia in_1806, they had
both climbed to very high positions on the
Tsars military staff. Prince Alexander arriving as he did from Russia, and having
been aide-de-camp to the Tsar, it was intimated that the Russians supported the uprising he led in early March 1821, crossing
the western Russian border with his volunteers into Moldavia. By this tactic, Alexander Ypsilantis expected the Russians
36
to be obliged to come to the aid of Greeks
and the other Orthodox in the event of any
sustained hostilities against them by Muslim Turkey. But this was a convenient interpretation ofthe formal treaty then existing between Russia and the Porte, combined with wishful thinking rather than assurance that the support would be forthcoming. Instead, Tsar Alexander quickly
disowned the uprising, and the Turkish
army was then unrestrained to wipe out the
poorly organized and inexperienced army
of Greek and other volunteers. The Orthodox in the Balkans did not rise, nor did the
Greeks in the Peloponnese despite the efforts there by Prince Dimitrios. Surviving
his fiasco, Alexander Ypsilantis fled into
Austria where he was arrested and imprisoned. The Austrians were not prepared to
risk breaking relations with the Ottomans
by giving refuge to the leader ofthis abortive effort.
But some other Phanariotes were more
productive in their efforts to aid the revolution. Another later Alexander Mavrokordatos, for example, dedicated himself from
the beginning to supporting the Greek
cause, within Greece itself, and working
with Lord Byron when he arrived there
bringing funds of his own and from sympathizers in England. EventualIy,
Mavrokordatos led a number of successful
campaigns against the Turks, and occupied
many appointments in the new Greek governments, serving as a minister, and even
for a short spell as prime minister, until his
death in 1855.
One key leader in Constantinople who
was obliged to strongly disown the revolutionary activities, was the Greek Orthodox
Patriarch Gregory V. As Ethnarch of the
Greek people, so named by the Sultan, he
was in a most precarious position, and he
was accused of not stopping this sedition,
despite the impossibility that he could have
done so. Urged by the enraged Sultan, the
Patriarch excommunicated Prince Alexander Ypsilantis in a futile effort to save
the rest of the Greeks. But the Turks went
on a rampage in the Greek quarters, anyway, killing many Greeks in Constantinople, Smyrna, and other cities in Asia Minor. When Bishop Germanos in the
Peloponnese on March 25, 1821 called for
all the Greeks to rise in rebellion against
the Ottomans with the rallying cry of "Liberty or Death! ", and this time they did, the
Turks went wild in Constantinople. Not
only did they tum on and summarily execute the Phanariote Constantine Mourouzis,
Grand Dragoman ofthe Porte, but they tortured and hung Gregory V on the gate of
his own Patriarchate, and after three days
they threw his body into the sea. Killed at
the same time were at least two metropolitans and a dozen bishops of the Orthodox
Church.
In the thirst for revenge, many leaders
of the Phanariotes were also collected by
the Turks and they were executed for not
stopping the insurrection of their fellow
Greeks, in view oftheir pretensions ofloyalty to the Sultan. These victims were not
to see the hard-fought freedom the mainland Greeks finally won for themselves after eleven years of vicious battles against
Ottoman armies. The Phanariotes were destroyed as a class of influential Greek aristocrats, and while their progeny survived
and they stubbornly held on to their titles
as hereditary Princes, any impact they
might have had on the future of Greece,
and their role or even presence in Constantinople, were gone forever.
'Constantinople was besieged twenty-three
times since its founding by Roman Emperor
Constantine in AD 330. It was captured by force
only three times: twice by the same Latin Crusaders together with the Venetians in 1203 and
1204, andfinally by Mehmed II in 1453.
2 "Sublime Porte ". in French "High Gate ",
the entrance to the Sultan's court, hence the
Ottoman government.
3 Other than Nikousios, principally, these
were the Mavrokordatos, Ghikas, Kallimachis.
Karatzas, Soutsos, Ypsilantis, and Mourouzis.
Some ofthese claimed ancestry back to the Imperial Byzantine court, but this was never proven. Most ofthem camefrom modest beginnings
whose forebears emigrated to Constantinople
from the Greek islands or outlying Greek areas, from the middle of the sixteenth century,
and later. They accumulated wealth as wi~v merchants, and rose to prominence mostly in the
eighteenth century.
4 Wolff. Robert Lee, The Balkans in Our
Times, Harvard University Press, 1974..
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New Books
LOST OPPORTUNITIES
For Greek-Albanian Rapprochement
"Ali Pasha and his Dream for an Independent Greek-Albanian State"
By Dr. BASIL J. PHOTOS
The following excerpt is from a new book
by Dr. Basil J. Photos titled "Lost Opportunities for Greek-Albanian Rapprochement",
published by Euclid Publishing, 623 Thirstle
Lane, Prospect Heights, IL. 60070. It is the
sixth book by Dr. Photos, who is considered
an authority on the history and issues related to the Greek-Albanian relations and the
struggle for liberation of his beloved motherland. The first chapter of the book titled
"Ali Pasha and his Dreamfor an Independent Greek-Albanian State follows:
During the middle part of the 18th century, a fascinating Albanian appeared in the
annals of Epirus, Albania and Greece. His
name was Ali Tepelena. He was born in
Betsisti in 1744. This small village is located northwest of Tepelena, a town famous for its strategic location in southern
Albania.
Ali's ancestor was a Turkish dervish
named by some historians Nazif, by others
Husein, who fled his home town ofKiutayhea to escape felony charges.
Nazif, wandering around the Balkan
peninsula, reached Tepelena and settled in
Betsisti where he lived in a hut. Nazifwas
rejected by the local townspeople but he
managed to marry a prominent Albanian
woman who was lame. She elevated him
to a noble social status in Tepelena.
From this marriage a son named Husein
was born. Husein ' s great grandson Veli attained a prominent position in the Tepelena district. Veli becoming ruler of the Tepelena area, protected the Christian population from the extortionate Turkish authorities, and from the dreaded Brigands, who
were pillaging his province.
Veli had two children from his second
marriage to a noble Konitza lady named
Khamko. Ali was born in 1744, and a girl
JUNE, 1998
named Shainitza was born in 1748.Veli
died in 1753. He left his two children in
their mother's care.
Khamko was an ambitious woman who
took over her husband's duties and obligations. With the help of her Christian lover,
named Chaus Prifty, she managed to rule
the Tepelena district with an iron hand.
Khamko grew to be a tyrant over her
district's populations. She levied heavy taxes and employed unbearable extortionate
methods provoking the indignation of both
Turks and Christians. By 1762, Khamko
with her daughter Shainitza were kidnapped by the Gardhikiots, a powerful
Muslim Albanian clan of the Tepelena district. The Gardhikiots were assisted by the
Khormovites, a Christian clan. Both ladies
during their captivity were subjected to
immoral and humiliating practices which
they never forgave . They asked Ali to take
revenge against their captors, to take their
"Hack.''' At this time, Kharnko's son Ali,
only fifteen, organized a group of brigands.
With his powerful rebellious army, Ali
terrorized the entire area and neighboring
provinces. Berat's governor, Kurd Pasha,
who also held the title of Dervendji Pasha, was responsible for the security of Albania, Epirus and Thessaly. Kurd Pasha
wrote a letter to Ali reprimanding him for
his illegal and shameful activities.
In this letter, Kurd Pasha tried to discourage him by stating that these activities
were disgraceful and unbecoming to his
noble lineage. Kurd Pasha also extended a
cordial invitation to visit him in Berat Ali
accepted. He was received with honors and
hospitality. Kurd Pasha, responsible for
keeping the peace, tried to capture the outlaw Ali. Once Ali was cornered by Kurd's
men in a village called Sopiki seventy-five
kilometers west ofIoannina. Security forc-
es besieged the town and searched for Ali
unsuccessfully from house to house. The
gendarmes were puzzled by Ali's disappearance in front of their eyes. Mufid Libohova, Ali's descendant and biographer,
tells the story of the disappearance. The
village's chancellor, loannis Oiconomos,
had cleverly emptied a 2,000 gallon wine
vat and then hid the fugitive in it. Thus Ali
escaped capture. Upon attaining power, Ali
graciously paid back the Oiconomos family by building Sopiki's cathedral. Enver
Hotza years later, did not dare to demolish
it as he had done with other religious structures in Albania. He converted it into a
museum.
After his escape, Ali targeted the province ofZaghorochoria, a group offorty-two
prosperous villages twenty kilometers
northwest of Ioannina. Ali was generous
and friendly to some villages, but brutal to
others. He developed close relations with
prominent Zaghorochorians who had influential political connections in Ioannina and
Constantinople. These men were Alexis
Noutsos Karamersinis, George Ladias and
John Marinoglou. Marinoglou owned
banks in Ioannina and Constantinople.
These people played key roles in Ali's elevation.
Dr. Lambridis tells us that Ali, after his
raid in Zaghorochoria, returned with his
loot to his base in Tepelena. En route, near
the town of Politzani, he confronted Kurd's
security forces and dispersed them .
Ali intensified his brigandage and extended his operations intq Thessaly, terrorizing both Greeks and Turks. Appeals for
protection reached Constantinople, The
government decided to act. Ali was advised
by his cautious Zaghorochorian friends to
avoid legal entanglement with the Turkish
39
government and hide. Ali did otherwise.
Taking his 3,000 Albanian irregulars,
Ali shrewdly joined a Turkish expeditionary army to help suppress a Danubian revolt. Ali displayed bravery and strategic
acumen in this campaign. He was proclaimed "AsIan" by the Turkish government. Right after, he was called upon to
eradicate brigandage in Thessaly. Promoted to "Dervendji" in 1787, he successfully
relieved Thessaly from the terror of the
outlaws. It is a popular saying that only a
master brigand knows how to get rid of his
fellow brigands. In 1787, at age forty-three,
he was appointed Pasha ofThessaly by the
Sublime Porte. Henceforth he was called
Ali Pasha or Ali the Lion. Ali Pasha of
Thessaly, from its capital, Trikala, did not
forget his brigand ways." He shifted his efforts to capture the coveted Ioannina Pashalic He sent part of his clans into Epirus
to plunder the area and create disorder.
Then, when asked for help he would gladly comply. Meanwhile, Ioannina's Arizot
Pasha was away from his capital, campaigning along the Danube to crush the revolt there Ali Pasha grasped the opportunity. Not too far from Ioannina, he demanded that the town authorities hand over the
government to him Ali presented forged
papers purporting to be a firman from the
Sultan, appointing him the new Pasha of
Ioannina. City authorities did not trust him,
and refused. A clash was followed by stalemate. Then, with his Ioaninna friends, he
devised a new scheme to overcome the resistance of his opponents. He secretly wed
an influential local woman called Zihalko.
This marriage broke the ice with the nobles who accepted him as Ioannina's new
Pasha. He captured Ioannina's Pashalic. His
Greek friends, employing influence and
money in Constantinople, obtained an official firman from the Sultan appointing Ali
as Pasha of Ioannina in 1788 at the age of
forty- four.
Henceforward he was called Ali Pasha
of Ioannina. Within-three decades this extraordinarily talented man expanded his
autocratic authority over southern Albania,
Epirus, Macedonia and all of Greece except Athens and Negrepont. He proceeded
to organize his dominions. As a first step,
he attacked the scourge of brigandage and
established the conditions for peaceful
progress.He crushed the Khormovites in
1780 and 1789, Chimariots in 1797, Suli-
40
ots in 1803 and Gardhikiots in 1812. These
clans enjoyed special privileges granted by
successive Sultans. Ali annihilated his Albanian enemies. Khamko's lover, captain
of the Khormovites, Chaus Prifty was roasted to death on a grill. Thus his mother's
"Hack" was taken. The antagonistic Pashas
of Berat and Delvino were banished. He
evicted foreigners from Albanian soil and
the Epirotic strongholds previously held
by Venice, France, Russia and England
(Parga-Preveza). All of this he accomplished by cruelty, bribes and shrewd invention. Ali's worst vice, among many, was
avarice. Charles Napier, an English engineer who constructed Ali's fortresses,
claimed his subjects feared his avarice even
more than his cruelty.
An Epirot historian and philosopher, Dr.
loannis Lambridis, tells a strange story. Ali
Pasha enjoyed devising schemes to extort
money from his subjects. Once two smart
Greek merchants, Kentro Spirou from
Sopiki and Kentro Migga from Nivani visited him. Knowing his greediness, they offered 4,000 piastres to buy the sun of Del vino. Ali accepted the offer gladly. They in
tum rented out the sun to Delvino's merchants for 14,000 piastres. Delvino's merchants did not have the right to open their
stores after sunrise unless they contributed
part of the sum.
Ali Pasha, at the height of his power and
glory, dreamed of further expansion and
became independent, defying the superior
authority of the Sultan.
Both Greek and foreign historians accused Ali of barbarism. But were there any
governors in the Ottoman Empire who were
not barbaric? George Finlay says that "it
was a common practice by the Ottomans
to inflict cruel punishment to intimidate the
masses.
Many authors presented Ali differently, praising him. These included Lord Byron, Victor Hugo, Christopher Perraivos,
Vienna's Greek revolutionary press, and
several historians like Grygori L. Ars, Tasios Vournas, the lecturer Vavaretos and
others.
From the book of Russian historian G.L.
Ars, we extract reliable information that
continns Ali Pasha's support and fatherly
care of his subjects. G.L. Ars writes that
the visionary Ali increased his strength and
his authority in securing his support from
his subjects. Ali established order and do-
mestic security. Thus, he improved the
Christians' position under his dominion.
The measures which he took in those times
in which chaos reigned in the Ottoman
Empire, indubitably benefited his subjects
and attracted attention at home and abroad.
Historian Ars goes farther and tells us
that a publication which appeared in Vienna's Greek revolutionary newspaper "Gazette" on December 30, 1821, alluded to
many letters received from Rumely
(Greece). The Vienna Greek Gazette writes
about the prosperity and happiness of the
"Rajas" (Greeks) under Ali Pasha. He had
secured safety for the Christians and a welcome downward tax revision for the inhabitants of Ioannina.
The French Consul
General
Saint-Sauver in the Ionian Islands agrees
with the above testimony. Consul
Saint-Sauver wrote that Ali Pasha by these
measures had not intended to strengthen his
authority by making his subjects' lives unbearable. On the contrary, he had endeavored to make the people happy by imposing impartial justice and security "une justice exacte" and "une bonne police."
Ali had many vices but his power and
glory attracted the attention of England,
France and Russia. These countries courted his friendship. Napoleon corresponded
and sent gifts. Napoleon appointed as his
consul to Ali's court Francois Pouqueville
who remained in Ioannina from 1806 to
1815. However, Ali's relations with Pouqueville were strained to the point of hostility. England sent many agents, most notably Colonel Leake who developed friendly relations with Ali.
Colonel W. Leake and Francois Pouqueville, regardless of their dislike for Ali
Pasha, recognized that he was the hero and
idol of the Albanians.
Lord Byron visited him in Tepelena and
Ioannina in December of 1809. In a letter
dated December ninth to his mother in London from Preveza, Epirus, Byron writes his
impressions of Ali Pasha and his amenities. Ali observed that Byron's curly hair,
small ears and fingers were indicative of a
noble lineage. Byron also wrote that Ali
sent him twenty types of sherbets daily to
satisfy his culinary needs.
Several Greek historians and foreigners
like Russia's G. L. Ars, question Ali Pasha's personality and policies. Was he a
tyrant or adroi politician? T. Vournas sets
GREEK-AMERICAN REVIEW
aside his frailties and presents him in favorable light as does another Greek historian, G. Vavaretos, in his treatise." Ali Pasha was an enlightened despot, according
to V ournas, with ideas considered progressive in that dark period. Ali was a visionary, at illiterate Albanian shepherd who
promulgated culture and education frOIT his
capital, Ioannina. This famous town was
established as Greece' cultural citadel, first
in arms, money and letters.
There were schools and colleges. Theology, philosophy, mathematics physics
and chemistry were taught by famous
scholars like the poet Dr. Ioannis Lilaras
Athanasios Psalidas, Balanos Doukas, Eugene Voulgaris, Theotokis, Dr. loannis Colettis and many others.
Psalidas, accused of atheism, was reprimanded by the Patriarch for his liberal
teachings. Frightened, Psalidas was ready
to end his teaching career. Ali found out
what had happened, summoned the scholar, and said "You stay where you are and
teach the youth to be honest and of good
character. I am the boss here and ignore
threats, no matter where they come from.
Ali intended to institute an academy of culture, arts and science in Ioannina. He introduced music. He welcomed European
theatrical groups. Vavaretos, the historian,
stated in a 1964 lecture that Ioannina had
more theatrical performances in Ali Pasha's
time than in his day. Ioannina's rise as the
cultural capital of an enslaved Greece is
owed t 0 an enlightened despot who protected and promoted culture. William Miller, the English historian, acknowledges that
"Ioannina was the renaissance of Greek
education. '"
Ali's civilizing and advanced works
were outstanding. He reformed and modernized the branches of government. Security, peace and tranquility in the state
blessed all sections of his dominion. Trade,
commerce, industry, production and
progress grew. He liberated Christians and
Moslems from the corrupt and extortionate practices of the Turkish officials and
their Greek collaborators, the "Gotzabashees." He reduced taxes. Regardless of
his mounting problems, he rebuilt industries. He built new bridges, highways and
inns along them. He constructed aqueducts
and cisterns. He supported entrepreneurial
works and industry, such as textile production, handicrafts and the lucrative AmJUNE, 1998
belakia threadmilling industry which exported its products to European industrialcenters. He constructed shipyards in the
Ambrakian Gulf to build a navy. Both
Christians and Turks praised their protector and called him father.
Speros Aravantinos tells many fascinating stories of Ali Pasha's justice, affection
and care for his people. He was tolerant in
religious matters. He belonged to the
"Bectashe" sect, a non-fanatic Muslim
group. Some historians believed he was a
Christian converted to Islam. This is untrue. Aravantinos says that Ali had a weak
spot for clergymen, Christian and Muslim.
Ali built Greek religious institutions,
churches and monasteries. On one of his
Thessalian estates he built a cathedral and
named it "Saints Constantine and Helen."
He asked the cathedral's Greek chancellor
to pray in his sermons for his health and
progress. Ali built Sopiki's Cathedral in
gratitude for his salvation by the town's
chancellor, loannis Oiconomos. In 1814,
he built St. Cosmas monastery in Kolikontassi, the village near Berat where Father
Cosmas was hanged on August 14, 1779
on Kurd Pasha's orders. It was said that
Hellenic Dental Society Lecturer Award
Officers of the Hellenic Dental Society presenting Distinguished Lecturer Award to visiting professor Dr. Lambrianides (left to right) Dr. Sam Onwuchekwa. Secretary: Dr.
James Doundoulakis, President: Dr. Lambrianides: Dr. Frank Pappas. Vice President;
Dr. Constantine Cherpelis. Treasurer.
The Hellenic Dental Society of New
York presented visiting professor Dr. Theodore Lambrianidis, professor of endodontics, Aristotle Dental School ofThessaloniki, with a distinguished lecturer
award. Dr. James H. Doundoulakis, President of the Society, presented the award
at their annual business meeting in April
at the New York Athletic Club. Dr. Lambrianides reviewed new vistas in advanced
endodontic technique and autographed
copies of his new textbook.
Also recognized were the new officers
of the Society. Along with Dr. Doundou-
lakis, the new officers are as follows: Dr.
Frank Pappas, Vice President; Dr. Sam
Onwuchekwa, Secretary; and Dr. Constantine Cherpelis, Treasurer.
The Hellenic Dental Society of New
York was established three decades ago
to provide a forum as meeting place for
the exchange of ideas, to foster closer cooperation between members of the Greek
dental community, and to support the
Greek community through various activities. The Society sponsors four scientific
meetings and three social events every
year.
41
Father Cosmas met Ali while he was still
an outcast at Lekli's mountains Father
Cosmas predicted that he would become a
great man with a triumphant career. Ali
never forgot. He supported the monastery
lavishly during his years in power.
The most celebrated case of his liberality concerns his marriage to a teenage
Greek Orthodox girl, Vasilike Kontaxi. He
tried to convert Vasilike to Islam, but she
refused. According to Mufid Libohova, his
biographer, she said: "My Lord, my body
belongs to you but my soul remains mine.
I can't accept Mohammed". Ali was impressed by Vasilike's sincerity. He built a
church on his palace grounds and a Greek
priest held services there every Sunday.
Ali Pasha's Political Aspirations
Ali took over Ioannina' s Pashalic by
1788, at the young age of forty-four. The
following pages review his political aspirations and plans.
Ali Pasha dreamed ofthe creation of an
independent state under his dominion, free
of any Turkish involvement. He envisioned
the formation of a democratic,
non-sectarian, Greek-Albanian constitutional state. Greek would be the primary
official language, Albanian being secondary. There would be equal laws and justice
for Christians and Muslims and other democratic provisions.
To realize these goals, Ali sought Russia's assistance. By 1791, just three years
in power as Pasha of Epirus and Southern
Albania, he drafted a memorandum in
French, addressed to the Russian government. This memorandum was handed to
Russian General B. S. Tamara by a committee of three. This committee consisted
of French Consul LaSalle; Vasilios Menxis and Eustathios Parousis. They visited
Tamara on Kalamos Island west of Acarnania during June of 1791.
The General forwarded the proposal to
his government by the beginning of July.
Its reception there is unknown. The French
Revolution and the Vienna Congress may
have kept the Russians lukewarm about Ali
Pasha's bold plan. The document was apparently shelved. It was uncovered by the
historical researcher G. L. Ars in the Russian navy archives in 1963 . The memorandum was translated into English.
For a long time, we have known with
42
certainty that Ali Pasha, to succeed in his
objective, concluded secret agreements
with foreign powers, especially those who
played some part in the Seven Islands - the
French, British and Russians. What we
know now and what was not known by older writers is how soon he became ambitious to found an independent state. One
document which was discovered a short
time ago by G. Ars, in the Central Archives
of the Russian Admiralty, informs us that
not even three years had passed since he
became Pasha of Ioannina when he commenced his plan with proposals to Russia
to establish a Greek-Albanian state.
The Russian General Tamara, in the
summer of 1791, found himself in the tiny
island of Kalamos close to the coast of
Acamania, attempting to raise up the Rayas (Greeks) and thus to divert some of the
Turkish forces who were fighting the Russian armies Then, in June of 1791, representatives of Ali Pasha arrived in Kalamos
with a plan of alliance that also included
Russia. Ali Pasha emphasizes that he is
ready to devote himself to Russia and, together with the Greeks, to create a diversion for her benefit. He proposes:
1. That he as well as his family and all
of his Moslem retainers would be assured
that they will keep free their religion;
2. That the territories that shall be placed
under his rule and in which he shall be recognized as an independent ruler be defined
in the agreement. He assumes the obligation not to burden the Greeks with greater
taxes than those of the Turks. The taxes will
be determined in accordance with principles that proceed from justice and moderation.
3. The Greeks, as well as the Turks, will
be able to receive all political and military
ranks with their abilities as the criteria for
preference.
4. Laws and orders will be written in
the Greek language, which is the most predominant in those places that the Pasha
wishes to have conceded to him as a principality.
5. The Greeks will remain under the protection of Russia with the proviso, however, that they will not have the right to transfer their legal affairs and to appeal the decisions of the local courts to Russian courts.
6. In place of a tax of submission (to
Russia), Ali Pasha undertakes the obligation to maintain at his expense a mixed reg-
iment of Turks and Greeks which he will
always have in war readiness, He requests
that one of his sons be appointed colonel
of this regiment and offers to send him at
once to Russia so that he may acquire there
the requisite training as well as constituting a surety for the good intention and faith
of his father.
7. On Russia's part, cannons and ammunition will be given to Ali Pasha, the
amount of which will be determined by
further agreements, as well as the necessary funds to assist the Pasha in maintaining his army until such a. time when definitive decisions are taken which it is foreseen will be undertaken after six months.
The Pasha will return these funds with interest at a determined time.
8. Russia assumes the obligation to
maintain a body of regular troops and to
assemble one more of Greeks exclusively
so that it may be seen clearly that it is aiding the Pasha. Thus, Turkish officials who
are disposed to be hostile to him will be
discouraged and the reservations of those
the Pasha hopes will follow him will cease.
The expenses of maintaining these troops
should be the responsibility of Russia and
the Pasha will not be obliged to reimburse
them.
9. In the event that the agreement foreseen by the proposals is not realized, Russia may always behold in the person of Ali
Pasha an Ally who is dependent upon her,
in times of peace using her influence at the
Ottoman Porte for his support and assuming the obligation to aid him in the event
the Sultan mobilizes against him.
Ali's plan for an independent state was
known to the Sublime Porte for a long time.
His unlawful contacts and illegal activities
had provoked the wrath,ofSultan Mahmud
II. Mahmud issued a firman declaring him
a rebel. Ali had to perish. The Sultan mobilized his available forces under Ismail Pashobey, an Ioannian noble and Ali's enemy. This army marched to Ioannina in
August of 1820 to subdue the rebel. Pashobey, besieging Ali for over seven
months, failed to break his resistance or
capture his fortresses. Exasperated by Pashobey's failure, the Sultan changed his
policy thus making several grave mistakes:
1) He rejected conciliatory negotiations
advised by the conservative faction in the
Palace.
2) He followed the advice of his close
GREEK-AMERICAN REVIEW
and trusted consultant, Halet Effendi, for
an all-out war. Halet Effendi hated Ali Pasha.
3) The concentration of all forces in 10annina for several months against the unsubdued Pasha offered favorable conditions
to Greeks preparing for an uprising against
the Turks.
4) Gravest of all, Mahmud replaced Pashobey with Khurshid, Pasha of the
Peloponnesus. Khurshid left his capital,
Tripolitza, in February of 1821, reaching
loannina by month's end. He left Tripolitza virtually defenseless under another incompetent Pasha with Albanian detachments and volunteers defending the town.
5) Right after the Greek revolt began at
the end of March, 1821, negotiations between Ali and the Turks began.
Two aspects shed some light on these
talks:
1. Khurshid, wishing to gain time, made
favorable overtures to Ali in order to sever
his contacts with the Greek insurgents. Ali
responded by demanding amnesty for his
followers and the life-long governorship of
loannina's Pashalic. Sultan Mahmud rejected Ali's terms .
2. Mahmud, at the urging of a powerful
Muslim clergyman, took upon himself the
initiative to approach Ali for negotiations.
This advisor wanted the Turks united
against the insurgent Greeks .
Mahmud's emissaries twice reached Ali,
promising a pardon and his restoration as
governor. Ali rejected the offers. The Sultan's initiative is confirmed by a recently
published letter of April 21 , 1821 by Anonymous to Anonymous (thought to be a man
in his court).
When the Greek revolution erupted at
the end of March, Theodor Kolokotronis,
the Greek hero, besieged Tripolitza's fortress. He managed to pull 3,000 Albanian
guards from the fortress who were his
friends . Tripolitza was left defenseless and
was easily captured on October 5,1821.
D. Photiades, a distinguished Greek historian, writes that the Turkish army was
encamped in the vicinity of Ioannina, besieging Ali. Thus no forces were available
to be sent to mainland Greece and the
Peloponnesus where the Greek revolution
had erupted. Ali's contributions to the
Greeks and their revolution were enormous.
From Ali Pasha's life and revolt, histoJUNE, 1998
rians extract several, sometimes controversial, conclusions. William Miller claims
that he was the precursor of the Greek revolution:
"The Lion of Ioannina has been made
familiar to the reader by the poetry of Lord
Byron and the prose of 10kai while as a
forerurvier ofthe Greek revolution, he has
gained a place in the best known chapters
of modern oriental history."
D. Photiades writes: "Ali Pasha offered
to us at the most critical moment of our
supreme struggle for freedom a unique and
priceless service. Without his armed resistance to the Sultan, it would be difficult for
anyone to say that the revolution of 1821
would have broken out and would have
succeeded."
Ali Pasha's court nurtured the future
Greek revolutionary leaders.
These included George Karaiskakis,
Marko Botzaris, Thanasi Diakos, Odysseas
Androutsos, Bangeli Zappas, Tzavellas,
Grivas, Alexis Noutsos and many others.
Few historians claim that Ali Pasha directly supported the Greek revolution with
money and otherwise. So far this is not
proven from Greek sources. Some historians, however, write their own versions.
Mufid Libohova states that "Ali's treasure
was estimated at 45,000,000 piastres, much
less than was expected, but Ali had contributed a great sum to the Greek revolution in Pelopormesus. " Libohova does
claim that Ali actively supported the Greek
revolution. He arrives at this conclusion via
Mahmud's firman that "Ali allied himself
with the infidel Greeks and he gave to them
and Suliots lots of money". William Plomer also writes that Ali's treasure was found
deficient: "There was not very much money left in the castro (fortress) for Ali had
heavily subsidized the Greek revolt in the
Morea (Peloponnesus)." Grygori L. Ars
concurs, writing that "Ali besides engaging a huge Turkish army around his capital
Ioannina, helped the insurgent Greeks with
money. The truth may be discovered some-
In " I
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~
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30xpovla
P'Uy~xouc;
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APIITOI<PATlI<O EITIATOPIO
43
day if the sealed Turkish documents are
released.
Ali Pasha's death ended the dream of
an independent GreekAlbanian state. He
was killed in a confrontation with Khurshid's forces on February 5, 1822 at the
On June 20th the New York State Amer- Founder and Chairman Peter J. Pappas, a
Lake's Island in st. Panteleimon's Monasican Republican Association (NYSHARA) self-made Greek-American businessman
tery. Khurshid Pasha had isolated Ali there will be hosting its first annual banquet honwho recognized the need for Hellenic
with the promise of the Sultan's pardon.
oring prominent Republican leaders, elect- American involvement and representation
Ali Pasha had reached the zenith of his
ed officials and philhellenes at the Sheraton in the Republican Party.
power and glory just before his tragic fall.
Hetel in New York City. Among the honMr. Pappas emphasized that "NYSHAFor thirty-five years he had ruled Greece
orees who will be attending the event are RA's membership is as diverse as the Heland Albania with an iron hand in defiance
New York State Governor George E. Pata- lenicAmerican community, including both
of the supreme authority of the Sultan.
ki, Senator Alfonse D' Amato, Congress- seasoned Greek-American professionals
Khurshid Pasha subdued Ali but he also man Mike Pappas, and NY State Senator
and businesspeople as well as young dyincurred the wrath ofthe Sultan. Mahmud
Dean Skelos.
namic individuals. What is stressed is the
thought that Khurshid had squandered Ali's
NYSHARA, the only Hellenic - Amer- active involvement of our members to adtreasury, assessed at 45,000,000 piastres.
ican organization chartered by the New dress the needs of our community, promote
Speros Aravantinos notes that fifty mules
York State Republican Committee, was the Republican candidates who espouse the
were required to transport it to Constantifounded in 1997 as a platform for values and policies we believe in, and to
nople. Mahmud, however, found the
Greek-Americans to build political strength promote talented Americans of Hellenic
amount deficient and had Khurshid decapbased on unity and shared concerns on both descent seeking public service."
itated.
domestic and foreign policy matters. This
"We have seen a huge increase in memIt is appropriate at this point to interject
pioneering effort was spearheaded by bership within the past year," Mr. Pappas
a paragraph concerning Vasilike's life.
stated, "some have likened Greek - AmerUpon her husband's demise she was taken
Abdul Frasheri (1839-1892), the Alba- ican participation in the Republican Party
prisoner and sent to Constantinople. Sulas a sleeping giant that has finally awoken.
tan Mahmud pardoned her and released her nian patriot, while negotiating with TrikWe believe the time has come for the
to go to Greece and settle in Aetoliko, a oupis I emissaries in Ioannina in 1877,
Greek-American
community to embrace
town near Mesolonghi. She died in 1835. claimed to be an Epirot. Then, as before,
this
vision
and
not
only achieve greater
According to Plomer, she had several of- Frasheri told Mavromatis, Albanians needempowerment
in
the
American political
fers of marriage from both Turks and ed the cultured Epirots to helpfully guide
process
but
also
position
itself at the vanGreeks. She declared, however, that "No the establishment of any viably indepenguard
of
promoting
positive
traditional
man was born in the world to marry Ali dent Albanian state.
Hellenic
ideals
centered
around
family,
One can only wonder how the course of
Pasha's widow."
hard
work,
liberty,
and
the
promotion
of
Ali Pasha was indubitably philo-Greek. history would have been different in the
democratic
ideals
both
domestically
and
Ali knew Greeks very will appreciating Balkans and the East if Ali Pasha's dream
abroad." For information call (212)243their presence in his court. He owed his had been realized.
2555.
elevation to Ioannina's Pashalic to such
Greek friends as John Marinoglou, Alexis
THE AHEPA ANNUAL CONVENTION IN ORLANDO
Noutsos, Dr. Georg Paschaloglou and others. How could he forget Father Cosmas,
his prophet, or his savior, Chancellor of
WASHINGTON-The American Hellen- tournaments. The Athletic Luncheon held
Sopiki's Cathedral, loannis Oiconomos? ic Educational Progressive Association on Wednesday afternoon honors profesAli Pasha's Greek staff, the scholar Psali- (AHEPA) will hold its 76h Annual National sional, collegiate and AHEP A athletes.
das, economics advisor Tsalapamos and Convention at the Hilton at Walt Disney
The AHEPA Educational Foundation
Vasilike Kontaxi, kept him so deeply in- World Village, Orlando, Fla. The conven- will host its annual Educational Sympovolved with Orthodox traditions and senti- tion officially opens Sunday, Aug. 2 and sium. Also scheduled is a series of adminments that many mistakenly thought him concludes Thursday, Aug. 6.
istrative workshops geared toward educatChristian. Furthermore, Ali spurred the
The Grand Banquet highlights a week ing AHEP A Chapter and District Officers.
Greek renaissance by developing his capi- - of social affairs on Thursday evening. A Iso For the first time, the District Governors'
tal, Ioannina, into an unrivaled cultural cen- planned are a Welcome Night, Greek Night Conference will be held in conjunction with
ter. George Finlay writes that "under Ali's and Grand Ball. Tickets are available indi- the annual convention.
government Ioannina became the literary vidually or through delegate and
"A major reason why AHEPA selected
capital of the Greek nation". Ali Pasha was non-delegate packages.
Orlando as a convention site is because it's
certainly a supporter of Greek culture as
Athletic events scheduled throughout an ideal family destination," said Supreme
influenced by the Epirotic environment.
the week are golf, tennis and basketball President Steve A. Manta.
Hellenic-American Republicans
To Host Landmark Event
44
GREEK"AMERICAN REVIEW
Greek-Americans in Review
HIPPOCRA TES AWARD
Dr. Steven G . Economou, chairman
emeritus of surgery at Chicago's Presbytera in-St. Luke's Hospital, has been
awarded the Hippocrates Award by the
Hellenic Medical Society of Chicago. He
is the first recipient of the newly created
Award in recognition of a distinguished
career in medicine which epitomizes the
ideals of ancient Greece's Father ofMedicine, Hippocrates.
Dr. Economou studied pre medicine at
the University of Chicago and went on to
receive his medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College in 1947. He interned and was a surgery resident at St.
Francis Hospital in Evanston, IL until 1949.
Certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1955, he began his lifelong association with Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital, becoming chairman of its department
of surgery in 1984. An outstanding surgeon, Dr. Economou was also an inspiring
teacher. He began as an instructor at the
University of Illinois College of Medicine
in 1952; rose to clinical professor of surgery in 1968; and served as professor of
surgery at Rush Medical College since
1971. He has served as president of the
Chicago Surgical Society; was recognized
with the Rush James A. Campbell Alumni
Service Award; and has been the recipient
of numerous other recognitions.
The Steven G. Economou, MD, Professorship in Surgery was established in honor of Dr. Economou in 1994 by the board
of trustees of Rush University. A wonderful role model, Dr. Economou's children,
James, Tasia and Elena are also doctors.
FR. STANLEY HARAKAS SPOKE
TO AMERICAN THEOLOGICAL
SOCIETY
The Rev. Stanley S. Harakas of Spring
Hill, FL presented a lecture on St. Basil's
guide for Orthodox Christian lay and monastic life, as it relates to current moral
concerns, at the annual meeting of the
American Theological Society. Fr. Harakas is the Holy Cross School of Theology's Archbishop Iakovos Professor of OrJUNE, 1998
thodox Theology, Emeritus.
He was elected president of the American Theological Society in 1997.
He is the first Orthodox Christian theologian elected to the organization and to
its presidency. In 1995, Fr. Harakas retired from a long and distinguished career
at Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek
Orthodox School of Theology. He continues to write on Orthodox ethical and theological themes.
CAPT. GEOR~E P. SOTOS
AT CHICAGO'S MUSEUM
Captain George P. Sotos of Alexandria,
V A presented a lecture at Chicago'S Hellenic Museum titled, "Hunting Enemy Submarines in World War II", during which
he discussed his wartime United States
Navy service, focusing on hunting enemy
submarines in the Atlantic.
Captain Sotos was born in Chicago. His
decorations include the Presidential Unit
Citation for outstanding performance in
combat on an escort vessel with the carrier
USS Bogue in 1944; the Meritorious Service Medal for superior initiative and outstanding leadership in meeting the Joint
Chief of Staff requirements for a command
and control system for use by the National
Command authorities, and the Legion of
Merit for outstanding service as director of
the Department of Defense Computer Institute.
JOHN N. HATSOPOULOS
HONORED BY NORTHEASTERN
UNIVERSITY
John N. Hatsopoulos, President and
Chief Financial Officer of Thermo Electron Corp. of Waltham, MA was honored
by his Alma Mater, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, for his outstanding leadership and business innovation.
John Hatsopoulos was born in Greece
and graduated from Athens College.
He received a bachelor's degree in history and mathematics from Northeastern in
1959 and began working at Thermo Electron which was founded by his brother,
George Hatsopoulos. John Hatsopoulos is
By Sophia Nibi
known for the development of the company's "spin-out" strategy to create publicly
traded subsidiaries, innovative use of convertible bonds, and reliance on international
investors to guide Thermo Electron to financial success.
GEORGECONDODEMETRAKY
IS CANDIDATE FOR US SENATE
George Condodemetraky of Belmont,
NH, a democarat, is running for the United
States Senate, against US Senator Judd
Gregg (R). He calls himself "a working
candidate, not a rich candidate". Thus far,
the civil engineer and son of Greek immigrants from the island of Tenedos, is the
only willing New Hampshire Democrat to
take on Senator Judd Gregg.
Mr. Condodemetraky describes himself
as a fiscal and social conservative and believes that education "is the most important thing you can give a poor person.
He grew upon Manhattans' West Side
and went to school there until a teacher,
Mrs. Goldstein, at P.S. 206 told him about
Brooklyn Technical High School. ("I will
never forget that woman. She changed the
direction of my life.") He went on to get a
civil engineering degree from New York
University. He believes senior citizens
should have more financial security. "My
father," he says, "made 50 cents an hour
working as a laborer. He built the country
for the capitalists.
Should we forget about people like
him?" He also thinks working women
should have access to child care, and he
champions alternative energy sources.
(More on George Condodemetraky and his
efforts in the political arena in our next issue).
PHIL LEVENTIS ELEVATED
TO BRIGADIER GENERAL
Phil Leventis of Sumter, SC, a decorated fighter pilot of the South Carolina Air
National Guard, and a State Senator, was
elevated to the rank of Brigadier General.
During the ceremony his wife E.V. Leventis and his mother, Tina Leventis, pinned
the stars to his uniform. He reflected on
51
the coincidence of the date when his father, the later Peter P. Leventis, Jr., a decorated Army Major in World War II, pinned
the Lieutenant bars on him upon graduating from the University of Virginia, where
he was enrolled in the ROTC program.
Gen. Phil Leventis, age 52, stated that his
father at that time was also 52 years of age.
(The late Peter P. Leventis, Jr. was a faithful steward of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas and served on the
Archdiocesan Council. He and his wife
ton Award from Metropolitan Methodios
on Jun 14, in recognition of their enthusiastic, continued and dedicated stewardship
to their parish of St. Demetrios in Weston,
MA. Church life has been a high priority
and a a sustained and active presence in
the Sgourakes family . Married in 1960,
and blessed with two daughters-Amalia
and Christine, the Sgourakes family worships faithfully at Services and works tirelessly for the community. George has
served on the Board of Administration in
all capacities and is currently chairman of
the Permanent Building Committee.
Sophia, a Philoptochos Woman, has been
an active supporting member of the parish's Senior guild for 14 years, currently
chairing the group.
An innovative engineer with a number
of patents, George Sgourakes is founder
and president of Avgi Engineering Inc. He
is also an advanced technologies manager
at Waters Corp, providing leading edge
technology for chromatographic instrumentation.
DR. CONSTANTINE FRANTZIDES
LOVES TO GO BACK TO HIS
ROOTS
Brigadier General Phil Leventis
Tina were early subscribers to the Leader
ship 100 Program.)
Phil Leventis was awarded the Air
Force Distinguished Flying Cross in 1992
for his skill in flying his F-16 fighter during the Gulf War in Iraq and Kuwait, and
for heroic action in the 21 combat missions
against heavy fire from the enemy guns.
Phil Leventis is a wholesale beer and
wine distributor. He has served in the South
Carolina Senate for several terms as representative of Sumter County. He chairs the
Agricultural and Natural Resources Committee and is on the Finance, Ethics, Fish
and Game and Labor, Commerce and Industry Committees.
GEORGE & SOPHIA SGOURAKES
WILL RECEIVE DIOCESAN
AWARD
George and Sophia Sgourakes of Millis, MA receivee the 1998 Diocese of 80s-
52
Dr. Constantine Frantzides of Northfield, IL was the first surgeon in the United States to successfully use a laparoscope
to perform an extremely precise operation
to treat ulcers . He was one of the first in
the world to use a similar surgical technique
to treat severe and chronic heartburn from
gastroesophageal reflux disease. He is on
the medial staff of Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago- director of its
new Minimally Invasive Surgery Center
and chairman of its division of surgery. He
is also professor of surgery at the University of Chicago. He has received many professional honors. He has never forgotten
his native Cyprus and has brought the art
of laparoscopic surgery to the island and
to Greece. In 1992, during a 23 day visit,
Dr. Frantzides performed 75 surgeries!
And his patients have never forgotten him.
Dr. Frantzides was born in Limassol,
Cyprus and earned his medical degree from
the Medical School of Athens University
in Greece. He worked in Nicosia, Cyprus,
Athens, and Kent, England, before moving to Wisconsin. There, he was on staff at
Dr. Constantine Frantzides
several hospitals and directed a minimally
invasive surgery center at the Medical Center of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
DR. GEORGE KA TSAS LECTURES
AT BOSTON'S CATHEDRAL
Dr. George G. Katsas of Boston's Jamaica Plain, MA, was the guest speaker at
the fourth Cathedral Cultural Series last
month. He spoke on "Experiences in Legal Medicine and Forensic Pathology."
Dr. Katsas was born in Athens, Greece,
graduated from the university of Athens
Medical School. He came to the United
States in 1953 and received his training in
forensic pathology at the Department of
Legal Medicine, Harvard Medical School
where he also served as acting director. He
has extensive experience in the field of legal medicine and forensic pathology. He
has served as State Pathologist for more
than 30 years and as Medical Examiner of
Suffolk County for 12 years.
He is a diplomat of the American Board
of Pathology and holds membership in numerous professional societies. In addition
to his forensic specialty, he was pathologist at the Waltham Hospital where he
served as Chief Pathologist for eight years.
Dr. Katsas and his wife, Clara are the
parents of Gregory, an attorney in Washington, D.C., and Anne, a student at Harvard Law School.
GREEK"AMERICAN REVIEW
DR. NICHOLAS KOFOS
HONORED BY ROTARY CLUB
Dr. Nicholas Kofos of Marlboro, MA
was honored by the Marlboro Rotary Club
which presented him with the Clifford E.
and Mary Gardner Memorial Award which
honors the memory of an active community service leader.
Dr. Kofos is a graduate of Marlboro
High School and Bates College in Lewiston, ME. He was awarded a doctorate in
1985 from the New Egnland College of
Optometry in Boston. He is a member of
the American Optometric Association, the
New England Council of Optometrists and
the Massachusetts Society of Optometrists.
Dr. Kofos and his wife Cynthia are the parents of Monthe, 9, Zachary, 7, and Leah,
5.
FR. DEMETRIOS T. DOG lAS
HONORED BY HIS COMMUNITY
Fr. Demetrios T. Dogias of Sacramento, CA, was honored for his dedicated 35
year service to the Annunciation Parish.
Since he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood, in 1963, Fr. Dogias has served parishes in Hempstead, NY, Oklahoma City,
OK, Dunbury, CT, Washington, DC, and
Albuquerque, NM, before going to Sacramento. In addition to his tireless work on
the parish level, he has served on the Diocese of San Francisco Diocesan Council
and Commission; was vice president and
president of the Presbyters's Brotherhood
of the San Francisco Diocese; is a member of the Northern California Ecumenical
Conference; and has worked with the committees of the popular San Francisco Diocese Folk Dance Festivals.
Fr. Dogias was born in Elizabeth, NJ and
received his primary and secondary education in Poughkeepsie, NY. He is a 1963
graduate of Holy Cross School of theology in Brookline, MA.
DR. ATHENA ANDREA DIS' BOOK
PENS BOOK ON STAR TRECK
ISSUES
Dr. Athena Andreadis, a Harvard Medical School associate professor of neurology has written a book about the biological
issues raised in the popular TV series Star
Trek. She used the web pages of hard-core
fans ofthe show to help research her book,
JUNE, 1998
"To Seek Out New Life: The Biology of
Star Trek." The tome deals with such questions as whether the Vulcan suppression of
emotion is biologically viable and whether
engineered humanoids could exist. Says
Dr. Andreadis of Star Trek, "This is one of
the few series that actually likes science.
How many mainstream shows can you
name that actually have scientists as heroes?
How many can you think of that have a
physicist or biochemist and their agonies
and ecstacies as they discover something
new?" Even though about half of the
show's scientific ideas are bogus, Dr. Andreadies credits the series for raising these
Issues.
DESPINA PAPACHRISTOS
IS AN OUTSTANDING TEACHER
ballet and classical music to physical education classes, has master's degrees in education and communications and has been
teaching for 16 years in Boston. She has
also taught in Greece.
KATIE KILADIS IS TOP ATHLETE
AT UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Katie Kiladis of Framingham, MA,
graduated from the University of Virginia
last month with very impressive athletic
credentials. She lettered five times in soccer and track and was the recipient of the
Lou Onesty award as the most valuable
player in track.
Katie, a Framingham High School graduate and former Boston Globe Female Athlete of the Year, was recruited more for
track and field that soccer out of high
school. She chose the University of Virginia because of its track program, but upon
arriving on campus she was wanted to play
soccer. She ended her soccer career with
nine goals and 24 points and the experience of playing in the NCAA Tournament.
She was selected to the All Atlantic Coast
Conference Team in the heptathlon and
pentathlon. She was second in the pentathlon with a personal best 3,567 points at the
Eastern College Athletic Conference meet.
DIMITRIOS COUCHELL
ORDAINED TO THE EPISCOPACY
Despina Papachristos
Despina Papachristos, a physical education teacher at Boston's Ellis Elementary School, was among 15 Boston Public
School teachers who were honored with the
II th Annual Golden Apple Award for ex
cellence in education and commitment to
teaching. Ms. Papachristou is a true believer in multicultural education and has
taught in Greek, English and Spanish. "Students learn about different countries and
cultures, but more importantly, they learn
to appreciate the value of diversity throughout the school, community and the world
around us" she says.
Ms. Papachristou who has introduced
His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon ordained Bishop-elect Dimitrios Couchell of
Xanthos to the episcopacy at St. George
Cathedral in Philadelphia, on Sunday, May
31.
Bishop Dimitrios, 60, was elected by the
Holy Synod of the Ecumentical Patriarchate on May 18. He is a 1963 graduate of
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of
Theology and has served the Church in
various capacities, most recently as Executive Director of Orthodox Christian Mission Center in St. Augustine, FL, since
1981.
P. PAPADOPOULOS CHOSE
RELIGION OVER MEDICINE
Panteleimon (TelIy) Papadopoulos of
Norwalk, CT, graduated with honors from
Faifield University which awarded him a
53
bachelor of science degree in biology and
religious studies. Telly, who took pre-med
courses at Fairfield University, chose instead to study for the priesthood. He will
attend Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School
of Theology in Brookline, MA. Interviewed by the Greenwich Times, Telly
said: "From a young age I had the desire
to serve in the church. I think it was the
way I was brought up. My parents came to
this country, they worked hard, they had
goals. I learned from that. I think when
you live close to the church you learn respect and discipline. And, really, lowe it
to God for putting a good head on my
shoulders." He plans to work hard, studying theology during the day and working
nights in a laboratory, using his biology
degree.
Telly is is the youngest of Ruth and Nikiforos Papadopoulos' three sons. He is
the first in the family to graduate from a
four-year college. Nikiforos Papadopoulos works as a carpenter at Norwalk Hospital and owns Nik's Place, a hot dog stand
in Nowalk. For the 27 years he's lived in
Nowalk he has been a chanter at St. George
Greek Orthodox Church.
A WIDE-LENS VIEW
AROUND THE COUNTRY
Sam and Helen Stavrakas of Orland
Park, IL attended the Name Day celebration festivities of the St. Photios Shrine in
St. Augustine, FL.
Gregory C. Stoumbelis of Equitable/Rotter & Associates in Oakbrook Terrace, IL,
has been awarded the National Leadership
Corps Award. He began his career with
Equitable in 1993 where he specializes in
wealth accumulation and preservation strategies and provides professional planning
for business and professionals.
Stephen Stathis of Brookline, MA is
the author of a book of short stories entitled Demons and Dreams that was published this year. Many of the stories highlight aspects of the Greek-American experience. Mr. Stathis has also published several other stories and has developed a model on narrative therapy and culture. He was
accepted as a resident artist at the Cummington-Community -of the Arts. He is a
licensed marriage and family therapist with
54
a private practice in Brookline, MA.
Spyridon S. Ganas of Shrewsbury, MA
has earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the
throught the ranks, until at 25 he was general manager. After five years he was promoted to executive VP and last year he
became president. Through his initiatives
Zeus Tours has expanded its product line
and its destinations beyond its original
Greek base to include Italy, Egypt, Israel,
Turkey, the Seychelles, Argentina, Chile
and Brazil. Peters has been ranked by the
Travel Agent Magazine as one of the 100
most successful travel agents.
Judge Paul Liacos of Peabody, MA,
former Chief Justice ofthe Commonwealth,
was appointed to the five-member State
Ethics Commission.
Spyridon Ganas
Boy Scouts of America. Spyridon is an
honor student at St. John's High School in
Shrewsbury. In the seven years he has been
a member of his troop he earned 39 merit
badges. He is the son of Stavros and
Stephanie Ganas and the grandson of Elias
and Gramany Gatzogiannis of North
Grafton and Spyridon and Angelica Ganas
of Worcester.
Dr. Penelope Tzougros of Boston, a financial planner, addressed the members
of the Annunciation Cathedral of Boston
Philoptochos last month, speaking on
"What Every Woman Should Know About
Money." Dr. Tzougros is a chartered financial consultant and chartered Life Underwriter.
John Peters, President, Zeus Tours. As
per Travel Agent magazine, John Peters,
at 35 is one of the youngest chief executives of a major travel company, but he
dosn't let his title go to his head. " I am a
firm believer that respect has to be earned,
regardless of age," he says. To make that
point, he spends time taking reservations,
visiting travel agencies and flying 150,000
miles a year.
"Taking reservations is humbling," he
says. "Keeping in touch with our staff, clients and other vendors makes me a better
executive. "
Peters grew up in Fort Lee, NJ and started in Zeus, the family business, as a reservations agent at 19. He quickly rose
Helen Kocolatos-Demos of New York
City, retired after 35 years as a teacher and
director of the Holy Trinity Archdiocesan
Cathedral Sunday School. During her tenure, a nursery was started and a monitor
was installed for young mothers to watch
the Liturgy. Mrs. Demos is a member and
third vice president of the National Phi loptochos Executive Committee.
Dr. Kirk P. Kalemkeris will be included in the National Register'S Who's Who
in Executives & Professionals 1998-1999
Edition.
Gregory K. Skoutas of Cranston, RI
has been promoted to vice president at the
Newport Federal Savings Bank. Mr. Skouras has been with the bank since 1993
and is responsible for the management of
the commercial lending functions and business development.
CEPHALONIA ISL.
LOT FOR SALE
A lot in the scenic town of Minies.
5 min. to the beach, 10 min. to Argostoli I resorts I restaurant. Beautiful view.
Excellent location for villa or hotel.
Survey I Deed available. Low 70's.
Priced to Sell. Tel.: (718) 680 - 3565
GREEK"AMERICAN REVIEW